Don't Fear The Reaper
by Intimidator1323
Summary: Murdered by vengeful villagers, Naruto discovers startling facts about life and afterlife. Trained by the best the dead have to offer, Naruto returns to life as an agent of Death himself, sent to preserve the uneasy truce between Heaven, Hell, and Earth at any cost. Will he be up to the task? Or will mankind be destroyed by the forces of darkness?
1. Prologue

Don't Fear The Reaper

By Intimidator1323

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Dante's Inferno, or anything else I use for this story.

**Hi everyone!**

**...Please don't kill me.**

**I know it's been a awhile since I posted anything. I haven't been too busy or anything, I just have a hard time putting my thoughts down on paper.**

**Coming up with the stories and chapters is easy for me, typing it out in a way that I find satisfying is not. Every chapter I write, to me, must be as perfect as I can make it, otherwise I don't feel like I'm giving you guys the full experience, that you're not seeing it as I see it. If I don't, it feels incomplete and boring. That's why it takes me so long to publish chapters, If I don't put everything I have into it, it feels like I've done nothing but waste your time.**

**Pretty much I have all my stories planned out from beginning to end, even before publishing them, but like I said, writing it is tough. Also, I don't even **_**touch**_** a story unless I feel inspired to write it. I won't type a single word until I feel inspired.**

**To make amends, allow me to tell how far along the next chapters for my other stories I am as of this writing.**

**Naruto: The Prototype: Right now, I'm mostly done with chapter three. I'm still writing Naruto and Ino's reunion but it's mostly done. The chapter is not nearly as long as chapter two, not even by half, nor does it have any action, but the next one will make up for it.**

**Master of the Spectrum: I'm about, maybe, halfway done with the next chapter. The entire thing is pretty much one big fight, so it's taking awhile. The Green Lantern comics I've been reading will be useful in the coming chapters.**

**I Am Horde: I've done my best to prioritize this story among all others, seeing as how the big parts are coming up soon, but, so far, I'm still a bit stuck. The next chapter will be worth it though (I hope), with Yagura vs. RAAM being the highlight. It is almost done, but I still have quite a bit to go if that makes any sense.**

**Made To Grieve: Ugh, don't even ask how far along I am. It'll be quite awhile before we see chapter two. Quite. A. While.**

**The Curse: This is, by far, the hardest story I have to write. The Fallout universe is so diverse and open, that it's become difficult to write. Also, because it's an open world game, it's hard to judge when to write about certain quests or whether I should skip them or not. Plus, I'm writing as I play the game. It might take awhile. Still, I'm nearly done with the next chapter.**

**So, now you know and knowing...Almost made a G.I. Joe joke just then. I stopped myself just in time (thank God).**

**Anyway, in addition to updates about my already existing stories, I present to you a brand new one!**

**To be honest, I thought I wouldn't write this story for a long time, but my inspiration compels me to start it and take it far as I can go before it grinds to a halt. My inspiration is practically overflowing in my mind, so hopefully I can keep this going for quite awhile.**

**I've had this story planned for **_**years**_**.**

**Before any of you say anything, yes the title of this story is based off of the song by Blue Oyster Cult. It's one of my favorite songs and I felt it would fit the story. I'm listening to it right now, actually.**

**This is actually the first of a series. There will be three other stories after this one.**

**This story will take place during the first part of the Naruto series and a part of Naruto's training trip with Jiraiya.**

**The second will take place during Shippuden to the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War.**

**The third and fourth...are a secret!**

**Anyway, sit back, relax, and enjoy.**

Prologue: Death is Only the Beginning

It began, as many stories do, with a single person and a single defining moment. A moment in which the person in question is set on the path upon which they will travel to greatness. On this path, choices are made, heroes and villains are born, and destinies are fulfilled.

In this case, that single person is Naruto Uzumaki, and that defining moment...is death.

Our story begins eleven years after the great, monstrous fox, known as the Kyuubi No Yoko, suddenly appeared in the tranquil yet powerful village of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

When it appeared, the beast tore through the village defenses and slaughtered hundreds, civilian and shinobi alike. None could stand against the sheer power it wielded. Even Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage, a man who once destroyed an entire army with a single attack, was no match for the giant fox. It seemed that Konoha was well and truly doomed to be nothing more than a crater in the ground filled with the memories of its fallen people.

And then, when all hope seemed lost, the Yondaime summoned a being whose power makes the Kyuubi seem like dust beneath one's fingernails.

The Shinigami; Death himself.

Minato Namikaze made a deal with the omnipotent being: his soul in exchange for sealing the Kyuubi away.

With this, a pact was made and the Death God subdued the creature, allowing the mortal Hokage to seal it away into the body of a newborn child, a boy named Naruto Uzumaki.

Minato knew that nearly everyone in Konoha had lost a friend, family member, or loved one at the paws of the rampaging fox, and was well aware that the villagers would see the newborn as the Kyuubi reincarnated. A foolish notion yes, but humans are naive and superstitious creatures that tend to fear and despise what they do not understand. The Yondaime knew that the possibility of the villagers developing a deep, irrational hatred of the infant was very real indeed.

And so, with his dying breath, he begged his people to honor the child as a hero, as the one whose very life kept the Kyuubi imprisoned and kept them all safe.

Thus, with theses final words, he died. The Shinigami took his soul and retreated from the world of the living.

The Pact was complete.

Despite being practically worshiped by his people, the Yondaime's dying wish was ignored by the majority of the people of Konoha. Most called for the infant's death the moment his link to the fox was revealed. On that day honor and reverence were replaced with spite and hatred.

For just as humanity is capable of great compassion, so too are they capable of unspeakable cruelty.

In the eleven years since, the people of Konoha would do anything in their power to inflict excruciating pain, physical or otherwise, upon the young boy. Most days they would form mobs with both civilian and shinobi alike and chase him down and beat him within an inch of his life. Other days they would stab, burn, drown, and, once, even attempted to bury him alive, telling him it was the closest thing to a proper funeral he would ever receive.

Aside from the physical torment, the villagers found other ways to torment young Naruto. Most of these involved denying him the basic needs of survival: food, water, and shelter. The food and drink he did receive (mostly as anonymous "gifts") were often spoiled or poisoned.

Despite the numerous attempts on his life, Naruto survived because of the Kyuubi sealed within him. It didn't want to die anymore than it's prison did, so it healed as wounds and purged any poison within his body.

The Sandaime Hokage, Minato's predecessor who had retaken the position of Hokage after the latter's death, did everything within his power to give the boy the normal life he deserved, but one man, even one known as the "God of Shinobi", could only do so much.

But, despite this, Naruto was able to make a few friends outside of the Sandaime.

Iruka Umino, the man who served as Naruto's elder brother figure and mentor, had lost his parents to the Kyuubi when it attacked. Despite this, he was wise enough to realize that Naruto and the fox were not one in the same. Iruka served as a protector when he could and a friend always.

Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku. The father and daughter pair owned a small ramen stand called Ichiraku Ramen, and was the only place that Naruto could eat at because the two would not spoil or poison his food. Teuchi saw in the boy the son he never knew he wanted and Ayame a little brother to dote upon. Sadly, any attempt to incorporate Naruto into their family was thwarted by the Civilian and Advisor sides of the village's council. A corrupted cabal filled with liars and greed, they were among Naruto's most outspoken critics.

Naruto did not have many friends his own age thanks to the parents of those who were of his age group. The Sandaime knew those who were alive during the Kyuubi attack would be unlikely to ever overcome their hatred. Because of this, he created a law stating that anyone who told the younger generation of Naruto's connection the Kyuubi would be immediately executed without a trial. The elder Hokage believed that this would allow Naruto to make friends with those of his generation free of the corrupting influence of their parents.

Yet, despite this law, children are gullible and easy to manipulate. When their parents told them to hate Naruto, they did so without question. And why would they question their parents? Those who gave them life and provided for them were surly infallible in their judgment, right?

If only that were true.

It was mostly the civilian children who were encouraged to hate Naruto. Those who were born in clans however, merely avoided all contact with him. They knew they would be alienated for their friendship with Naruto by the other children and so evaded the blonde boy who everyone hated but wouldn't explain why.

Despite this, Naruto did have one friend his age; one child who did not care if she was ostracized for her friendship with the young Uzumaki.

Hinata Hyuuga.

She was the daughter of the head of one of the oldest and most revered clans in Konoha, those who carried the all-seeing eyes: the Hyuuga clan.

Most of the clan disliked Hinata for her gentle and kind nature, something that was an anathema to the strong and stoic clan, but she didn't care what they thought, she followed her heart and became Naruto's closest friend.

For eleven years life was harsh for Naruto with only a few people to provide him a shining light in the darkness of his existence.

But that changed on this day.

On the day of his birth, the day of the celebration of the Kyuubi's defeat, Naruto once again found himself being chased by a mob of angry villagers, this time accompanied by a squad of ANBU.

On some days he would escape. On others, he would be caught and beaten to within an inch of his life.

Today, however, although he would be caught, his attackers would go too far.

Today, the defining moment of Naruto Uzumaki's young life would occur.

Today, Naruto Uzumaki would die.

**With Naruto:**

He had been running for hours now. Normally the mobs would give up after the first hour or so, even on his birthday, but today the mob was being lead by a squad of ANBU. This seemed to give the crowd the incentive they needed to keep going. After the third hour of running and dodging various thrown weapons, the leader of the ANBU squad finally got lucky and managed to hit Naruto in the leg with a kunai.

Naruto had cried out in pain as he stumbled and fell forward. The crowd had finally caught up to him and began their usual beating/kicking/stabbing session.

After a good twenty minutes of this the crowed parted, encircling Naruto's body while the ANBU leader approached him staring down at him murderously through his bear mask a katana in his hand.

By this point Naruto was barely capable of breathing, much less moving. He could only gaze up at the man who led the attack against him.

The man kneeled down and looked the boy in his eyes.

"Hello _Kyuubi_" he sneered, "Do you remember me?"

Naruto didn't answer. Couldn't answer. He was too tired to speak. Too tired to care.

The ANBU continued after he received no answer.

"I'm not surprised. Mere mortals like me are beneath you after all. Oh wait, you're beneath me now aren't you?"

Naruto just stared tiredly.

"Let me remind you then. When you attacked the village all those years ago, I launched a fire jutsu that hit you right in your ugly face" he continued, with the boy on the ground not knowing what in the nine hells he was talking about, "You barely flinched, glared at me, and roared. Sent me flying straight through a damn building. I hit the ground, unable to move, both my legs broken, I look around and see corpses everywhere. I keep trying to move when I look at the body right next to me. Guess who it was?"

Naruto didn't answer.

The ANBU growled at him, mistaking the tired look for one of apathy. He raised his katana and impaled Naruto with it, making sure not to hit anything vital.

Naruto cried out in pain as the masked man continued.

"It was my wife!" he yelled, "The woman I pledged myself to! The woman I promised to protect with my dying breath! And she was dead!" he shouted before calming himself. "I must have passed out, because I woke up in a hospital bed, hoping to God that what I saw was a terrible nightmare. But it wasn't. One of the doctors told me she was dead" he then twisted the blade slowly, causing the blonde boy even more pain. "Because of you! You murdered her and that stupid old man let you get away with it!" he then grinned evilly behind his mask, "But not anymore."

He pulled out a kunai and held it to the boy's throat, leaving the katana still impaled in him.

"The old man isn't here now and I put a poison in my fellow ANBU's food so they would sleep and be unable to protect you. No one is going to save you this time."

He continued to grin while the crowd cheered him on.

"This is for my wife, may she finally rest in peace."

And with that, he slit the boys throat.

Naruto's eyes widened as he began choking on his own blood, trying desperately to draw breath.

"NO!"

Suddenly another ANBU appeared, this one wearing a dog mask. He kicked the bear masked ANBU in the side of the head, launching him into a building, and rendering him unconscious.

The ANBU didn't even pay attention to the rest of the crowd as he kneeled next to Naruto and began cradling him in his arms.

"Naruto! Naruto, look at me! You're going to be alright! Just stay with me!"

The crowd was confused by this and then worried. If this ANBU was able to save the Kyuubi, all their efforts would be for nothing.

"Step away from the Kyuubi, Dog" one of the other ANBU in the crowd ordered, calling the man by his code name.

"Fuck you" Dog growled, glaring at him while not letting go of the dying child in his arms.

The ANBU snarled behind his mask, "I said step away..." the man took a menacing step forwards...

Only to stop when three figures appeared before him.

Two of them were ANBU, who were intimidating enough by themselves, but the old man they were with was what really scared him and the rest of the crowd.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage and the legendary God of Shinobi, who was currently glaring bloodly murder at the ANBU in front of him.

Said ANBU took several fearful steps back.

"H-h-hokage-sama" he stuttered in sheer terror.

The old kage continued to glare at him.

"You fools..." he said in a menacing tone before shouting, "Do you realize what you've just done?!"

The crowd was terrified now. The amount of killing intent being released by the Sandaime was enough to bring them to their knees.

"W-we just killed the K-k-kyuubi" the fearful masked shinobi stuttered out.

The killing intent increased.

"No, you just killed Naruto Uzumaki. You just killed the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. YOU JUST KILLED THE YONDAIME'S SON!"

Everyone present, except for Dog and the two ANBU that accompanied the Hokage, were shocked out of their skins.

It couldn't be.

It wasn't possible.

He only looked like the Yondaime to mock their heroes sacrifice!

"No" the ANBU said, trembling and unbelieving, "No, it can't be, that's not possible!"

The rest of the crowd was in the same position, trying to find a way to not believe what they were hearing.

The old Hokage continued to glare.

"But it is. You just killed Minato's legacy and now..." he said as he discarded his Hokage robes and hat, revealing the battle armor underneath.

"...I'M GOING TO KILL **YOU**!" he cried as he attacked.

The crowd was slaughtered, butchered, incinerated, and crushed by the old kage's assault. They were so frozen in fear that they couldn't do anything but scream. Some begged for mercy, clinging to their lies and claiming that the Kyuubi deserved to die. They were ignored.

When it was over, the street was covered in blood and gore not seen since the Uchiha Clan Massacre years prior.

The Sandaime was panting and trembling in rage while still exuding killing intent powerful enough to be felt by the whole village.

One of the ANBU that accompanied the Hokage, this one wearing a cat mask, took a few careful steps towards her leader and placed a careful hand on his shoulder.

"Hokage-sama stop. You did it, they're dead."

The old man flinched at her touch, still in "battle-mode" before finally calming down.

Then he remembered, "Naruto!" he said as he quickly moved to where Dog and Naruto were.

"We need to get him to a hospital, quickly, with the Kyuubi inside of him there might still be time to-!"

"No" Dog said quietly, interrupting.

The Sandaime looked at his subordinate, "What?"

Dog looked up at his leader, tears welling up in his eyes behind his mask.

"He's dead."

The Sandaime froze as he felt his heart stop at hearing theses words. He looked down at the cradled boy and saw that his face was frozen in shock. His eyes were still open but there was no life in them.

Naruto Uzumaki was truly dead.

The group simply stared in disbelief as Dog closed the deceased boy's eyes with one of his hands before slowly lowering him to the ground and then standing up, Naruto's blood covering his torso.

He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye, he looked over and saw the bear-masked ANBU, still unconscious.

Still alive.

Growling, Dog pulled out a kunai from a pouch on his belt and began marching towards the downed ANBU.

"Kakashi" the Sandaime said as he saw the man move towards his former comrade.

Kakashi kneeled next to Bear and grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up while placing the knife at his throat.

"Kakashi stop!" the Sandaime ordered the dog-masked ANBU.

Kakashi froze, "Why?" he asked, "This..._animal_ murdered Naruto! He deserves nothing less!"

"He deserves much more" the old man said, "He must stand trial for what he did. He will spend the rest of his life in the deepest darkest cell we have" he promised, "But death is to good for him."

Kakashi said nothing for a few moments before punching the unconscious man and dropping him before standing up.

"You're right" he said quietly, still glaring at the downed ANBU, "death isn't enough."

The Sandaime nodded before looking the two ANBU that arrived with him.

"Cat, Hawk. Take Bear to Ibiki, tell him to come up with the worst torture he can possibly think of and then tell him to find something even worse to use on him."

The two ANBU bowed before picking up the unconscious bear and heading towards the Interrogation & Torture Department.

The Sandaime then looked at Kakashi.

"Pick up Naruto, Kakashi. We're going to prepare a proper funeral for him."

Kakashi was confused, "'Proper funeral'?" he asked, not understanding what he meant.

The old Hokage nodded, "I'm going to make an announcement to the entire village. They will know that they have hated and tortured the son of their greatest heroes. They will spend the rest of their lives knowing what they have done."

Kakashi nodded and moved towards Naruto's body. He gently began lifting Naruto up.

That was when something strange happened.

As Kakashi was lifting him up, Naruto's body crumbled into dust!

Both of their eyes widened.

"W-What?" Kakashi stuttered, shocked, "What...just happened?"

The Sandaime was just as shocked as he was.

"I...I don't know" he answered truthfully.

The two could only stare at the dust in Kakashi's hands and on the ground.

**Elsewhere; after Naruto's death**

Naruto Uzumaki's day had taken a turn from worse to just plain bizarre. He remembered being chased down by a group of angry villagers, being caught, hearing the bear-masked ANBU call him "Kyuubi" while droning on and on and on about his dead wife, then being stabbed, and, finally, having his throat slashed open, gagging on his own blood, and blacking out.

And now, a few minutes later, he awakens to find himself able to breath, on the same street he was caught!

Naruto groaned as he stood up and looked around. Something was different. The first thing he noticed was that all of the villagers surrounding him were gone, including the ANBU. Another difference was that everything was shrouded in a strange light. A mixture of orange and gold, like what one would find as the sun was setting.

Something was very wrong.

As he took a step forward he felt a sharp pain in his gut. He looked down and gasped.

The katana he was stabbed with was still in him! And yet, despite this, he wasn't bleeding, nor did he feel himself dying.

It was official now, something was definitely wrong.

And it was about to get worse.

As he was about to attempt to remove the katana, an ink-like, shadowy substance appeared on the ground in front of him and a figure slowly rose from it. It was tall, at least three times his height, and wearing a cloak with an attached hood. The cloak was mostly open exposing a great deal of its ribcage with a veil of rotting flesh around it. Two threads lined with beads that looked like golden skulls encircled it's waist. Its hands were a sickly grey with a golden bracelet wrapped around both of it's wrists. The hood seemed to be too tall and too wide for the wearer, leaving it to sag across its head. It's face was still visible, though, and what a face it was! It appeared to be the rotting face of a corpse, sunken and grey like the rest of its body, with no nose and black eyes that shone with malice. Two slightly curved horns were protruding horizontally from holes in its hood. It had no visible legs and appeared to be hovering above the ground, propelled by some unseen force. In its left hand it carried a wicked looking scythe even taller than its wielder. The hilt of the weapon appeared to be made of a giant human spine with a small glaive at the very bottom tip. This glaive was dwarfed by the curved, main blade at the top. The piece that connected the blade to the hilt was covered on both sides by a demonic skull design, with horns coming out of its head and face and a mouth full of razor sharp fangs. Across of both sides of the blade were several grooves that seemed to sink into it, giving the weapon an even more intimidating look.

All in all, this thing and its weapon were the most terrifying things Naruto had ever seen in his young life.

The hooded corpse seemed to be glaring at the blonde boy.

And then it spoke.

"**Naruto Uzumaki.**"

Naruto jumped slightly at the creatures voice. It was rasping with a dark undertone.

The corpse continued to speak, "**You're fate is decided: everlasting damnation for your sins.**"

This shocked Naruto. He suddenly realized what this thing was.

The Shinigami.

That meant...he was dead!

Naruto also understood what it was saying; he might not have been the smartest of his age group but he knew what the Death God had planned for him.

"B-but I didn't do anything wrong!" he said with fear in his voice.

The he only barely noticed the ground breaking apart in large chunks and floating away, revealing and dark, swirling sky. They seemed to be in a tunnel, floating towards a white light at the end.

The Shinigami seemed to scoff at him, "**Your very existence is a stain on the natural order. The fact that you live is enough to deserve damnation.**"

Naruto's eyes widened. Then it was true, the villagers had called him a monster and demon for years, and now he knew why: because he truly _was_ one!

The Reaper then held out it's hand.

"**Come, face Eternity. Soon you will be joined by those whose lives you have ruined. Whose souls you have damned. The innocent you have corrupted, seduced into becoming your friends.**"

Naruto's eyes widened, 'Iruka-sensei, Teuchi, Ayame-neechan, Oji-san, Hinata-chan.'

The Death God intended to damn them as well!

Naruto had lived a cursed life, a life of pain and torture. His loved ones were his only source of happiness, his light in the darkness. They had saved his life and his sanity.

He could care less about what happens to himself, but he would not let anything happen to his precious people.

Naruto glared at the Reaper, "I don't care what happens to me, but you won't touch those dear to me!" he then looked down at the katana imbedded within him. He gripped the hilt with his hands and pulled as hard as he could. The blade was removed with a sickening sucking sound and Naruto grit his teeth from the immense pain he was in.

He then held the weapon in a stance he had seen an ANBU use while training.

"I'll kill you first!" he declared. He knew he had absolutely no chance against this thing (he was literally facing down Death himself) but he had to try.

The Shinigami scoffed, "**Pretending to possess compassion will not save you creature; Your black soul is mine!**"

He then held his scythe in his hands and took a stance.

The two glared at one another for a few moments...and then charged.

Naruto swung at the Reaper's midsection...only for him to disappear and reappear behind his attacker.

Death swung the bottom, glaive end of the scythe and left a nasty slash across Naruto's back.

The boy cried out in pain and stumbled forward. The Shingami only laughed.

"**You have no skill and even if you did I cannot be defeated here!**" he mocked/bragged.

Naruto glared and snarled, "We'll see" he said and lunged again. Death easily blocked a clumsy attack aimed at his stomach and then another before backhanding the boy across the platform.

"**Accept your fate. Let me take you!**"

"Never!"

Death then surprised his foe by throwing his scythe at him. Naruto quickly rolled to the side barely dodging the spinning weapon. Then blade then reversed and flew back to its owner. Naruto was unable to dodge in time as the hilt smacked him in the chest, knocking him down and knocking the wind out of him. Death caught his own weapon and jumped into the air aiming to bring the scythe down on his downed prey. Naruto caught his breath just in time to roll out of the way, ending up behind the Reaper. Without hesitating, Naruto slashed at the creature's unprotected back.

Death let out a cry of pain and turned, backhanding Naruto again and sending him flying. As he landed, Death teleported in front of him and swung his blade down diagonally. Naruto instinctively held his blade and, miraculously, blocked it!

"**What?**" Death gasped. How was this possible? His weapon should have sliced right through the human made weapon in this realm!

Naruto took advantage of his foe's shock and slashed at Death's stomach before jumping out of the way. Death shrieked in pain and swung his scythe horizontally at the blonde boy. If he hadn't jumped back, Naruto would have been beheaded.

Death then unleashed a flurry of attacks, with Naruto barely able to block each one. Finally, though, Death landed a blow that knocked the katana right out of Naruto's hand. Before he could do anything, Death wrapped an unarmed rotten hand around Naruto's throat and pulled him up to eye level.

"**You have failed, demon. Now you will be judged and your defiance will only inflict even more pain on those you have tainted. Their suffering will be legendary, as will yours!**" Death proclaimed.

Naruto was feeling a mix between fear and rage before. Now, however, he was feeling nothing but rage. A pure, endless, all-consuming fury that had engulfed his very being.

Death raised his blade, "**Now, face your sins!**"

Before Death could finish off Naruto, something amazing happened.

Naruto instinctually reached for his fallen blade (on the other side of the platform) practically willing it to come to him...

And it did!

The blade shuddered for a second before flying straight towards Naruto, hilt first. Naruto caught the blade just as the Reaper was beginning to bring his scythe down on Naruto's neck. Without hesitation, he plunged the katana into Death's shoulder, a torrent of shadowy smoke pouring from the wound.

The Shinigami let out a world-shaking scream of pain before letting go of both his victim and his weapon, reaching for the imbedded sword in his shoulder.

As Naruto hit the ground he immediately reached for the scythe, picked it up, and charged at the wounded god.

Death saw Naruto charging him with his own weapon just as he removed the blade from his shoulder and held out his hand, trying to summon his weapon back to him.

To his extreme surprise and utter misfortune, the scythe ignored his call.

"**What?!**"

That was all he could say before his foe was upon him.

Naruto slashed down diagonally, leaving a deep wound across the Reapers chest. Death barely had time to cry out before Naruto swung the blade horizontally, carving an equally deep wound across his stomach. The blonde then pulled his arm back and stabbed his new weapon forward. To his slight surprise, the curved blade swung forward, transforming the scythe into a spear. The blade plunged into the Shinigami's chest and impaled him out through his back. Naruto then, pulled the blade out and impaled him again and again. He continued this seven times before pulling back and stabbing as hard as he possibly could. With incredible strength the Reaper was launched off of the blade and sent flying across the platform.

Death rolled for a bit as he landed and shakily got to his feet, surprise apparent across his undead face.

"**Impossible!**" he cried out as he tried again to summon his weapon, but it didn't leave the boys hands.

His own scythe had rejected him!

Naruto looked down at his new weapon before swinging lightly. The blade then rotated forward, transforming the spear into a scythe once more. He then twirled the weapon and held it like an expert. Despite it being over twice his size and having never used a scythe (or any other weapon) before, he was wielding it like an expert!

Death stared in shock at his young foe. Naruto was covered in a dark red aura, his eyes were red and slited, and the canines he had been born with had grown sharper and more pronounced.

He looked like a demon out of someone's worst nightmares!

And he no longer looked afraid.

No, now it was Death's turn to be afraid!

"**How is this possible?! How are you using **_**Harvest**_**?! How are you able to fight me here?! This is my realm! I AM INVINCIBLE HERE!**" he demanded and declared.

Naruto growled and charged forwards with murder in his eyes.

Death backed away, "**No! Back away! Stay away from me!**" he shouted fearfully.

Naruto didn't listen, unleashing slash after slash against the Reaper, with the creature unable to fight back, only shriek in pain.

Finally, Naruto swung the blade upward, slashing Death's face and producing another scream from the Reaper of Souls. Naruto then spun around and stabbed the blade horizontally into his foe's chest. He then lifted his foe into the air and, with incredible strength, slammed him into the ground, knocking the non-existent breath out of him. He then painfully yanked the blade out and kicked the downed Death God across the platform.

Death weakly got to his feet, barely able to move from the intense pain he was in. He rose to his feet and rose up just in time to see Naruto leap into the air. With a mighty war cry, the blonde brought the blade down on Death's right shoulder, severing it and spraying shadowy blood everywhere.

The Shinigami let out a scream of agony so loud, that it nearly made Naruto's ears bleed. But he fought through the pain and held the blade to the Death God's throat.

Death had fallen to his knees, clutching where his arm had been separated from him. He saw said appendage lying on the ground nearby. Before he could even move in its direction, the arm dissolved into shadow and Death found his own scythe being held at his throat.

He looked at his young foe, eyes filled with sheer terror.

"**What...What are you?**" he rasped weakly.

Naruto glared at him, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. But for you? I'm Death!" he declared.

The Reaper was trembling now.

"**Master!**" he called out in a begging tone, looking around rapidly, "**Help me!**"

Naruto paused. Master? Who would Death call master?

That answer was given in the form of a single word.

"**Why?**" a new voice asked, a voice that was raspy like Death's but was also softer yet carried more authority and power.

Naruto spun around and froze at what he saw. Floating a few meters above the ground before him was another creature, this one even more terrifying than the first. It towered over Death, with a demonic face and glowing golden eyes. It's skin was a darkish-blue gray color. It had long shaggy white hair and two red horns protruding from its head. It was clothed in flowing white robes. It's arms were unnaturally thin and it's fingers were long and ended in claw like nails.

Naruto was shocked enough to allow the Kyuubi's power to recede. He recognized this being from stories and pictures he had heard and seen.

The Shinigami.

And he was glaring at...the Shinigami?

Wait, what?

The hooded Reaper gazed up at the horned one.

"**Shinigami-sama**" he said lowering his head, before continuing, "**Thank the Creator you're here! Quickly, destroy the monster before it escapes!**"

Now Naruto was even more confused. If this horned being was the Shinigami...what the hell had he been fighting?

The Shinigami snarled, "**You are in no position to demand anything of me. You came here against my wishes, Omen, and you broke your oath to the cause, to ME!**" he shouted.

The hooded Reaper now known as Omen cringed.

"**But master**" he pleaded, "**I was only here to serve the cause! To protect mankind against the dark forces who seek to destroy and corrupt them!**"

The Shinigami then swooped down on the wounded Omen and roared directly in his face, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

Omen shrank into himself at the enraged display.

"**You **_**dare**_** lie to me you deceitful little worm?!**" he demanded, "**You did not come here to serve the cause! You came here to settle your petty vendetta against demonkind!**"

"**They are monsters! A threat to the Balance!**" Omen said, defending his actions.

"**Demons may be**" the Shinigami conceded, "**But you know as well as I that the Jinchuriki are not demons, nor are they a threat, unless they choose to be! Even then, it is not our business to involve ourselves in humanity's affairs! We are their silent guardians! We protect them, watch over them, and they do. Not. Know about us!**"

Omen seemed to grow angry, "**And yet we let these**" he gestures to Naruto, "**Monsters run around without oversight?! We let the humans control them?! The Kyuubi nearly annihilated one of the most power human settlements until your intervention stopped it! How long until it escapes again and finishes the task?!**" he demanded.

Naruto was really confused now. What the hell was a Jinchuriki? And what did he and the Shinigami have to do with the Kyuubi?

The Shinigami growled at his servants defiance, "**Minato Namikaze invoked the Pact. I must appear when the Pact is called! The Jinchuriki are not a threat, neither are the Biju they contain! They all agreed long ago to respect the Balance and not to involve themselves!**"

"**But they did!**" Omen argued.

"**Because they were forced! A handful of greedy human leaders subdued them and sealed them into innocent children!**"

"**Humans are weak! They cannot handle that kind of power! All it takes is a single mistake to unleash total destruction upon the world! The only way to stop the threat is to permanently silence the Biju when they are vulnerable!**"

"**That is **_**not**_** your decision to make!**" the Shinigami snarled, "**I did not create the Reaper Corp to control humanity or decide its future! I created it to protect them from destruction!**"

"**When mankind chooses, they choose only what makes themselves stronger, not what makes things right! They cannot be trusted to make their own decisions! Have you forgotten Kaguya and the Shinju?!**"

"**I have forgotten **_**nothing**_**! Do not think you can lecture me on events that happened before you were born **_**boy**_**! Humanity can only achieve its full potential if it is not affected by an outside source! **_**That**_** is what the Creator said and I agree with Him completely!**"

"**Then you are a fool!**"

Omen widened his eyes at what he just said.

"**M-master, I-I didn't mean-!**" he attempted to explain.

"**No**" the Shinigami interrupted, "**You meant every word...and you're right; I am a fool...**" he then backhanded Omen, the blow somehow more painful than all the wounds he had received combined, "**For believing you would not let your past life affect your judgment!**"

He then finally turned to Naruto, who had been silent throughout the entire supernatural shouting match.

"**Naruto Uzumaki**" said boy jumped at the mention of his name, "**I apologize for Omen's actions**" he then glared at the fallen Reaper who cowered under his gaze, "**Clearly, I made a mistake when I recruited him.**"

Naruto was about to speak when the Shinigami spoke again.

"**He has disobeyed my orders and threatened the innocent. Threats he no doubt would have acted upon if given the choice**" he looked back at the blonde boy, "**Kill him.**"

Naruto and Omen's eyes widened.

"What?"

"**What?!**"

"**He tried to reap your soul simply because he hates what you carry within you**" the Shinigami explained, "**He was going to kill your loved ones simply for being connected to you. He has abused the power I have given him and has misused it for his own purposes. He has broken his oath. For that he must die.**"

Naruto then remembered what Omen had said he was going to do to his precious people. He glared at the wounded Reaper and marched towards him with _Harvest_ in his hands. He then raised it above his head.

Omen's eyes widened.

"**No!**" he begged, "**Please don't-!**"

Naruto brought the blade down, slicing the Reaper vertically in half.

The two halves fell to the ground and dissolved into shadow.

"**It is done**" the Shinigami stated simply.

Naruto merely looked down at where his fallen foe had been kneeling...before dropping _Harvest_, falling to his hands and knees, and vomiting.

The Shinigami simply watched. He should have realized that this would happen, after all the boy did just make his first kill.

Naruto gasped for breath and was trembling, "What...What have I done?" He had just killed someone...thing, whatever! Even if he had threatened his precious people, that didn't justify killing him!

...Did it?

"**What needed to be done**" the Shinigami answered, "**He was a threat to humanity, to those you care for. Sparing him would only have fueled his desire for revenge.**"

Naruto simply stared at the ground with a blank look on his face. He stayed that way for several moments before picking up _Harvest_ and standing.

"**Feeling better?**"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Thank you Shinigami-sama" he said bowing.

The Death God smiled, "**You are most welcome. It's the least I could do after being unable to stop your premature death.**"

Naruto was confused, "'Premature?'" he repeated.

"**Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. You weren't supposed to die today**" the Shinigami explained.

Naruto was confused, "I...wasn't supposed to die?" he asked.

The Shinigami nodded, "**Indeed. Omen manipulated a naive Dead Counter into ending your life far earlier than it was supposed to.**"

"A what?" Naruto asked.

"**A Dead Counter. They are responsible for tracking all living souls and making sure they die at the correct time. Then a Reaper comes and collects the deceased person's soul and brings it to me, where I determine which afterlife they are sent to**" he explained.

Naruto was confused, "But you're the Shinigami! Don't you decided when someone dies? Don't you collect their souls?"

The Shinigami chuckled, "**Firstly I prefer to be called Death and secondly,** **no mortal. The Creator decides when someone is born and when they die, I merely collect on the death half of the equation. Besides, do you know how many people die every day? Even **_**I**_** can't do all the work myself.**"

Naruto nodded. It did sound like a difficult job.

He then remembered something.

"Who's the Creator?" he asked.

Death chuckled again, "**Exactly what his title says, he is the maker of all things, the being who created the Heavens, the Earth, and everywhere in between**" he explained, "**To humanity, he goes by many different names: God, Kami, Allah, et cetera, et cetera. But to everyone else, he is simply called by his title: The Creator.**"

Naruto noticed a hint of compassion in his tone, "You sound like you're close to him. Like you care about him."

Death smiled, "**He is my brother. Or, at least, the closest thing I have to one**" he explained, "**We need one another. We cannot exist without each other. I reap what he sows. It is a never ending cycle, one we are a part of, whether we like it or not.**"

Naruto nodded. He knew what the feeling of having a loved one is like.

Death then became serious, "**Please don't tell anyone I showed compassion and reverence just now. I have an image to maintain, after all.**"

Naruto laughed, "I won't I promise."

Death nodded, "**Good.**"

A moment of silence passed before Naruto asked another question.

"What's a Jinchuriki?" he asked.

Death froze for a moment before answering, "**A living sacrifice. Someone who contains one of the nine Biju within themselves and can use its power.**"

Naruto thought before asking, "Am...Am I one?"

Death looked at the boy and nodded, "**Yes, you carry within you the Kyuubi no Yoko, the most powerful of the Nine.**"

Naruto suddenly realized why nearly everyone hated him, calling him a monster, a demon, or a freak. He understood why the bear-masked ANBU had called him Kyuubi and why Omen attacked him. The truth hit him like a ten-ton sack of bricks.

"Then it's true" he said sadly tears forming in his eyes, "I really am a monster-"

"**NO!**"

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin at Death's sudden outburst.

Death continued, "**You are not a monster and you are not a demon! You are human! You are merely the prison which contains the foxes power! Were it not for you the Kyuubi would have destroyed Konoha!**"

Naruto simply stood there contemplating.

Finally he looked at Death and asked, "How do you know I'm not a monster? Not a demon?"

Death smiled, "**I have seen monsters and demons. I know their tricks and their powers. And I know you are human. Trust me, I'm older than the universe itself. I know what I'm talking about.**"

Naruto wiped his eyes of tears and smiled, "Thank you" he said.

"**Certainly**" Death replied smiling.

"But why does everyone think I'm the Kyuubi? Can't they tell the difference?"

Death shook his horned head, "**They could...if they could look past their grief**" he explained. When Naruto opened his mouth to ask what he meant, Death continued, "**Nearly everyone in the village lost someone in the Kyuubi's attack. A friend, family member, lover, everyone. I would know, my Reapers and I were very busy that day. Grief can drive humans to do any number of unspeakable things and do anything to cope. They wanted to blame something, some**_**one**_**, for their loss, and so they chose you. You, who contain the very being that ruined their lives.**"

Naruto nodded, it made sense.

"Will they ever realize I'm not the Kyuubi?"

"**Doubtful. Humanity as a whole is stubborn and likes to think it is always right. Admitting when they are wrong goes against their very nature. I'm sorry, but it would take a miracle to convince the villagers and those are few and far between**" he explained sadly.

Naruto seemed saddened before perking up, "If there's way I'll find it!" he promised.

Death chuckled, "**And** **I wish you luck in that endeavor.**"

Several more moments passed in silence before Naruto asked a nagging question in his mind.

"So..." he began, "What happens now?"

Death looked down at him, "**Now? Now you go back to the land of the living and I don't see you again until your **_**appropriate**_** time of death**" he told the mortal boy.

"When is that?" Naruto asked, relieved he would be going back, but worried about how much time he had left.

Death laughed, "**I can't tell you that, boy. Sufficed to say it won't be for quite some time.**"

Naruto sighed in relief before another question popped into his mind.

"What about the scythe?" he asked holding up said weapon.

"_**Harvest**_" Death corrected before shrugging, "**Keep it.**"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Really?!" he asked excitedly, like a kid on Christmas Morning.

Death chuckled, "**Of course. It chose you after all.**"

"What do you mean?" the boy asked, confused.

"**Did you notice how Omen could call **_**Harvest **_**back to himself after he threw it at you?**" he asked.

Naruto nodded, remembering the blow that knocked the wind out of him.

"**And did you notice that **_**Harvest**_** wouldn't respond to him after you picked it up?**"

Naruto nodded again.

"_**Harvest**_** is a sentient weapon**" he explained, "**It thinks and feels and it decided that you were a more worthy master than Omen. It has bound itself to you. I couldn't take it from you even if I wanted to.**"

Naruto looked down at his new weapon.

'Hard to believe this thing is alive' he thought to himself. He then felt a small surge of power coming from the scythe. He didn't know how, but he knew _Harvest_ was saying "I am alive".

Naruto smiled before looking back at Death.

"Won't everyone be surprised if I just return from the dead?"

Death chuckled, "**Most definitely**" he answered, "**But that will just make it more interesting.**"

Naruto laughed, "Yeah I guess so" he then became serious, "Alright, I'm ready."

Death nodded, "Very well" he said and then began channeling his power...before suddenly stopping.

"**Then again, this is a rather rare opportunity**" he mumbled to himself, "**Perhaps if...yes...that might just work!**"

Naruto was worried now; was Death going to change his mind?

Death then looked at Naruto and smiled, "**I have a proposition for you, Naruto Uzumaki. Would you like to hear it?**" he asked.

Naruto was still worried but nodded.

"**I need you to promise me you will listen to everything I say first and wait until after I'm done to decide. Can you do that?**"

Naruto nodded again.

Death smiled, "**Good**" and then began explaining, "**Let me first start by telling you a story. Long ago, before recorded history ,the Creator made the first of humanity, Adam and Eve, and allowed them to live in the realm of Eden, an earthly paradise where all would be provided for them. They would be the first, the paragon for what this new species should be. But, even in its infancy, humanity was vulnerable to corruption. Adam and Eve fell for the manipulations of Lucifer, otherwise known as the Devil, Satan, Iblis, Shaitan, or The Fallen One among others. He convinced Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, who then convinced Adam to do the same. Because of this act of defiance, the Creator cast Adam and Eve out of Eden and onto Earth. He then made it so that they and their descendents would have to work, have to shed their blood, sweat, and tears for their rewards. Nearly everyone knows this story. What humanity doesn't know is what happened next. The Creator realized that the human race was vulnerable to the corrupting influence of the denizens of Hell and their lord and master, Lucifer. To combat this threat, the Creator came to me. You see, my purpose is to gather the souls of the dead and send them from this life to the next. Who better to protect mankind from the threat of the supernatural than the one who straddles the worlds between life and afterlife? The Creator asked me to create a way to fight this threat, a first and last line of defense between the human race and those who seek to exploit or destroy it. And so, I created the Reaper Corps, a group of humanity's finest and noblest soldiers, warriors, assassins, thieves, scientists, engineers, philosophers, alchemists, and the like. I would wait until their time on Earth was spent and would offer them a place in my organization upon their deaths. It was a volunteer only group and those who did not want to join could simply pass on to the afterlife. Anyway, the Corps goal was simple: protect mankind from the supernatural forces that wished to destroy, corrupt, or enslave it. We were to preserve the Balance between Heaven, Hell, and Earth. The only catch was that mankind could not know about us or the supernatural in general. The panic that would spread would be catastrophic. Also, our members must sever all ties to their previous lives and never attempt to contact their loved ones. No one must ever know that they still walk the Earth. **_**Ever**_**. And so, we work in secret. The Corps has saved Creation countless times throughout history and is still alive today. When not fighting the supernatural, the Reapers spend their time honing their skills or brining me the souls of the deceased for judgment. Omen was one such Reaper until he put his petty vendetta ahead of the cause, the Balance, and his brothers and sisters in arms.**"

Naruto jaw was practically on the ground. Not only was Death...well, Death! But he was also the creator and leader of a secret organization of heroes who fight the supernatural!

This led to a question, "Supernatural? You mean demons, right?"

"**Demons, Fallen Angels, Monsters, Spirits, the Undead, all of these things and more!**" he answered.

Naruto was now even further surprised.

Death knew what he was thinking, "**Yes mortal, nearly everything supernatural you were told wasn't real, is.**"

"You mean like ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and zombies?" he asked excitedly.

Death smiled at his enthusiasm, "**Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Oh my goodness yes!**"

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed before confusion defined his features, "But what does that have to do with me?"

Death explained, "**Well, with Omen dead, I find myself in need of a replacement for him...and I was hoping **_**you**_** would fill his position.**"

Naruto's eyes widened so much that it was a miracle they didn't fall out of his head.

"M-me?" he asked, "B-but I'm not a hero, I don't have the skills to be a part of the Corps..."

"**Not yet**" Death told him, "**But you have great potential. You were able to kill a veteran Reaper with his own weapon. Granted, he wasn't able to instantly overpower you because he acted outside of my authority, but he was still an accomplished warrior.**"

Naruto was sorely tempted to accept but remembered his precious people.

"Doesn't that mean I would have to stay dead?" he asked.

Death smiled even wider, "**Normally yes, but, as I said, I have a proposition for you. You delay your return to life and travel to my realm. Ah, ah, ah! Let me finish!**" he said as he noticed Naruto about to protest. Naruto closed his mouth and let Death proceed. "**As I was saying you **_**delay**_** your return to life and travel with me to my realm, the Void, where the Reaper Corps headquarters is located. You spend a few years training there in the ways of battle and learn all there is to know about the supernatural. Then, when you're training is complete, you return to Earth and become my personal representative in all things living. Meaning you hunt down those who try to cheat Death among other things.**"

Naruto was really excited now, "Can I still be a ninja?" he asked.

Death smiled, "**But of course. Being a shinobi, you will often come across things you must also deal with as a Reaper as well. Sometimes, the two careers will intersect.**"

Naruto was really excited now. He could have the best of both worlds! He was about to accept before Death held up his hand to stop him.

"**But be warned**" he cautioned, "**The life of a Reaper is not an easy one. The training will be brutal, arduous, and almost cruel in it's execution. You will encounter things that will haunt both your nightmares and your waking thoughts. You will be forced to make difficult decisions for the good of humanity. You will make powerful enemies, enemies who will likely target those you care for out of revenge. Most importantly, you may very well die an early death. In addition, being a Reaper is a lifelong commitment. If you join, you cannot leave until you either die or until I release you from your duty; something that will take a very **_**long**_** time to happen. And so, Naruto Uzumaki, knowing this, I make you this offer: will you join the Reaper Corps? If you say yes, your new life begins. If not, I will not consider you a coward or uncommitted. I will send you back to Earth with no strings attached. You can even keep **_**Harvest**_" Death paused before continuing, "**I'll give you one hour to think about it. I will return expecting your answer. Think carefully and choose wisely.**"

And with that said, Death vanished, leaving Naruto alone on the floating platform.

Naruto sat down and began to think, weighing his options.

**One hour later:**

Death reappeared and gazed at the waiting Naruto.

"**Have you come to a decision?**" he asked.

"I have" Naruto answered.

There was a long pause before Naruto continued.

"I accept your offer" he answered with absolute conviction.

Death was unsurprised by this.

"**Are you certain?**" he asked.

Naruto nodded, "I thought about what you said. I know being a Reaper will be hard, but my whole life has been hard from the start. It seems no matter what I do, my life, and those dear to me, will always be in danger, supernatural or not. I made a promise that I would protect them. They saved me so I will save them. It doesn't matter if the threats are human or not, I will keep my promise!" he vowed with as much passion as he could and then smirked, "Besides", he hoisted up _Harvest_, "I got this new weapon, might as well learn how to use it."

Death smiled, "**So be it then. Let us be off.**"

Naruto nodded and then asked a question, "One last thing: will my loved ones know I'm alive...sort of?"

Death chuckled, "**Don't worry, it's been taken care of.**"

And with that they disappeared, bound for the Void and to a new and better future.

**The Hokage Tower, soon after Naruto's "death":**

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just arrived at his office, depressed and drained. He was really feeling his age with Naruto gone. That boy had been so full of life, things were never depressing while he was around.

And now he was dead.

'What am I going to tell the others?' he mentally asked, referring to Naruto's other friends and loved ones.

Sighing, the old kage opened the door to his office and walked in...only to find someone sitting at his desk, reading a certain orange...well, let's just call it a novel, that belonged to the old man!

He couldn't make out its face behind the book, but he could see it's shaggy white hair.

"**Is this really what passes for human literature?**" the stranger asked rhetorically in a soft, rasping voice, "**If so, I find myself supremely disappointed.**"

The Hokage tensed at the sight of the intruder and took a fighting stance.

"ANBU!" he called out, knowing they were hidden nearby, ready to answer his call.

But this time, no one came!

"**They cannot hear you Hiruzen Sarutobi, time has stopped. A small alteration so that we may speak privately**" the stranger explained, still reading.

The Sandaime looked outside his office door and saw the people in the hall were frozen, like statues!

The old Hokage glanced back at the intruder, whose face was still hidden by the book.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" he demanded.

The stranger chuckled, "**You'll find I can do anything if I have a mind to do so**" he answered, "**As for my name, well, you already know it. Everyone, living or dead knows me.**"

The Sandaime was confused.

"**I am the shadows, the being that haunts all things. I am a whisper in your ear, the feeling you get when you feel you are being watched, the shiver down your spine. I am the end of all things. But most importantly...**" he then lowered the book, revealing his demonic face, a face the Sandaime knew all too well.

"**...I am Death**" he answered simply.

Hiruzen gasped, "The Shinigami!" he whispered.

Death shrugged, "**Some call me that. Also, the Grim Reaper, the Devourer of Souls, the Destroyer of Worlds. But I prefer to be called by what I am: Death.**"

The Sandaime stared at one of the most powerful beings in this or any other universe.

"Why are you here?" he asked, "Are you here to take me, because I assure you it will not be easy!" he declared dropping into a stance.

Death scoffed, "**Actually, it would be easy...if that were the reason why I am here. But it is not. Your time has not yet come, Sandaime Hokage...**" he then smirked, "...**At least, not yet.**"

The Hokage suppressed a shudder at that comment.

"Then what do you want?" the Sandaime demanded angrily, "Haven't you already taken enough today?!"

Death remained calm, "**You refer to one Naruto Uzumaki, yes?**" he asked, "**That is precisely the reason I came to speak with you. You see, there was a bit of a...misunderstanding on my end.**"

"Misunderstanding?" the old man asked.

Death nodded, "**You see, Naruto Uzumaki was not supposed to die today.**"

The Sandaime's eyes widened, "Not supposed to-! But he did!" he exclaimed.

"**Because of the meddling of one of my servants. He held a deep grudge against demons and believed the Biju were a threat to humanity. He planned to collect the boy's soul and sentence him to eternal damnation.**"

The Hokage was now frightened for Naruto's safety, but Death soon calmed him down.

"**Calm yourself mortal. The boy is safe, he overpowered the meddler and killed him**" he explained.

Hiruzen was shocked, "Wait, he-! What?!"

Death proceeded to explain the battle between Naruto and Omen.

The Sandaime was amazed, Naruto was normally such a kind and gentle boy, it must have taken quite a bit to force him to use the Kyuubi's power and even more so to kill someone.

A thought occurred to the old kage, "Wait, does this mean...you will resurrect him?" he asked cautiously.

"**Of course**" Death answered, "**But not just yet.**"

The Hokage felt is hope rise and then fall at these words.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"**You see, I made a proposition to young Naruto and he accepted.**"

Before the mortal kage could respond, Death elaborated, "**Naruto is going to spend a few years in my realm; The Void. There, he will be trained by the best the afterlife has to offer. And when his training is complete, he will return and become one of your shinobi.**"

The Sandaime was suspicious, "And what, exactly, do you get out of this deal?" he asked.

Death smiled, "**When he returns, he'll tell you. He will enjoy the look on your face when he tells you what he has become a part of.**"

Naturally, this made the old man even more confused, but he knew better than to force the issue.

He was speaking to Death himself, after all!

He decided to ask a different question, "When will he return?"

"**When do the next batch of genin graduate?**" Death asked.

"In four years" the mortal answered.

Death smiled, "**Sometime before that then. Before you say anything about letting him graduate despite not attending the academy, I suggest you let him graduate anyway.**"

Hiruzen was about to protest when Death interrupted, "**I assure you, the training he will receive will more than make up for it a thousand fold. I promise you this: he will eclipse the other genin in terms of skill, intelligence, and power. He will make you and your village proud and he will be a bane to your enemies.**"

The Sandaime saw the serious look in the Grim Reaper's eyes and knew he was telling the truth.

"...Okay then" he conceded before sighing, "The Council will throw a fit about this. The Civilian and Advisor sides at any rate."

Death scoffed, "**What does it matter what they think? You are Hokage, you are above them physically, mentally, and morally. I suggest you remind them of that**" he advised the old man.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement.

Death stood up, placing the "novel" down, "**Well then, I guess I'll be off**" he then prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

Death stopped at the old kage's word.

"**Yes?**" he asked.

"Could you please tell Naruto...that I'm glad he's alive and look forward to seeing him again?" he asked to the point of pleading.

Death nodded, "**I think he already knows**" he answered, "**But I'll tell him anyway.**"

And, with that, he vanished and time resumed.

Hiruzen just stood there for a moment, contemplating the events that had just transpired and what he had just learned.

"Hokage-sama?" one of the ANBU outside had noticed his superior had just stopped in the middle of his office and just stood there, "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

The Sandaime shook himself out his thoughts and looked at his subordinate.

"Yes, I'm quite fine" he answered before looking at the clock on a nearby wall. It was almost midnight.

He then turned to the ANBU, "First thing tomorrow morning, I want you to find Naruto Uzumaki's closest friends and bring them to my office" he ordered.

The ANBU bowed, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

With that, the old kage closed the door behind him and went to finish his work for the day before going home.

He smiled to himself.

'Tomorrow is going to be a busy day' he thought to himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**And cut!**

**So, now you guys know the plot: Naruto is an agent of Death and a hunter of the supernatural.**

**Before you say anything; Yes, I got the idea from the television show Supernatural (which I do not own), but there will be far more action and there will be actual supernatural beings, not people who merely act as hosts (not that I dislike the show, quite the opposite, in fact).**

**Also, while this is technically and Naruto x Dante's Inferno crossover, there will be many, many elements from other games, movies, shows, and whatever else I choose to use.**

**I own none of them.**

_**Harvest**_** is the name I have given to the scythe that is used by Naruto. It is exactly the same as the scythe used in Dante's Inferno. The only difference is the glaive at the bottom. I got that idea from Darksiders II, where all of Death's scythe's have it and the bottom of the blade and can be used to stab enemies.**

**I hope you all liked the plot, the back-story, and the chapter.**

**The next chapter will involve a timeskip and Naruto's return.**

**Until next time, this is Intimidator1323 signing off!**


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Dante's Inferno, or anything else I use in this story.

**Hello everyone!**

**Before we get started, coduss asked me in a review what the pairing is. I thought I had placed the pairing before, but it turns out I was mistaken. It's there now, though.**

**Just so everyone knows, this is a harem fic.**

**The harem will be composed of:**

**Hinata**

**FemHaku**

**FemKyuubi**

**Ino**

**Kin**

**Tayuya**

**Karin**

**Isarabi**

**Shion**

**Mei Terumi**

**I might add others, but these girls are in for sure. Any suggestions would be great, though.**

**Also, to LordGhostStriker: I'm no fool. Naruto will not be godlike in this story. Besides, you cannot even imagine the ideas I have for this story. You're right, making Naruto too strong would ruin those plans.**

**To gunruner420: this chapter should answer your questions.**

**To finnjake: First of all, having Dante as his mentor would be a bit too on the nose, don't you think? Secondly, what? Where did you get the idea that Naruto would be trained by a spirit in **_**Harvest**_**? The weapon may be sentient, but it isn't going to be his mentor!**

**Anyway...**

**Guess what time it is! That's right, It's time for a new chapter!**

**I hope you all enjoy it!**

"Regular speech"

'Thoughts'

"**Death/Demon/Angel/Summon/Other speech**"

_Special Weapon/Armor/Artifact_

Jutsu/Spell/Other

Chapter 1: From Dust I Am Reborn

**A bandit camp in Earth Country, years later:**

"What's the haul this week?" one nameless bandit asked his friend.

The two thugs were guarding the entrance to their camp, a large cave entrance.

"Two caravans" he answered, "Not as much take as the last time, mostly junk, but we got a consolation prize."

"What was it?"

The second bandit smirked, "We got the daughter of an Earth nobleman" he told his partner.

"She hot?" the first asked.

He nodded, "Yep, but the boss says we can't touch her. Says we're gonna ransom her back to her old man" he explained.

The other bandit frowned to but then shrugged, "Oh well, at least we can make some decent cash."

His friend smiled wickedly, "Oh, but it gets better" he said, "the boss wants to wait until the nobleman arrives with the money. Then we kill his guards and take the ransom. Then take _him_ hostage and hold him for ransom for the Earth Daimyo! After that, the girls all ours."

The first bandit smiled, "Two paydays for the price of one! Let's just hope we get a turn before some of the other guys. They always use them up quickly and I ain't into dead chicks!"

"I hear you" the second said, agreeing.

Unfortunately for them, they would never be able to indulge in their desires because of what happened next.

In a swirl of shadows, a lone figure appeared.

Judging from his build, he was male. He was a little over six feet tall and was obviously muscular but not overly so. He was wearing a black trench coat with an attached hood (which concealed his face), a black shirt, black pants, black combat boots, and black, fingerless gloves. Under his left wrist was a strange, eye shaped tattoo. Though they couldn't see it since he was facing them, on the back of his coat was the kanji for "Death" and the words, "No Escape" were printed in the color of flames. At the center of his back was an image of two scythes in a crossbones position with a demonic skull at the center. A circle of flames were surrounding it. All were a bright, blood red.

What worried the two men most, however, was the wicked looking, curved blade mounted on his right forearm.

The two thugs jumped up, held up their weapons, and tried their best to be intimidating.

They failed.

"Who the hell are-?"

That was all the first bandit could say before, in a burst of speed, the hooded man appeared behind them. He then turned around, swinging his blade as he did, and beheaded both men in a single swing.

The two men seemed to freeze and then blood appeared on their necks as their heads slid off, falling to the ground, the rest of them soon following.

The hooded man then turned and looked at the cave entrance ahead.

'Alright' he thought, 'this is the place, let's hope he's here and not out plundering' he then shook his head, 'No, he'll be here, why would he do the work when he has a bunch of dumb thugs to do it for him?'

In a burst of dark energy, the armblade disappeared and a wicked looking scythe appeared in his hands.

'Let's get to it then' he thought as he moved further into the cave.

**Bandit camp, main tent:**

Inside the main tent, the bandit leader was sitting on his makeshift throne, with several other members nearby, guarding him.

He was tall, a good 6' 5'', heavily muscled, and covered with scars. He was bald and had no facial hair. A large scar ran from the top of his head, over his right eye, and down to his chin. Whatever had created the scar had also blinded that same eye, with it being pale and the other being dark brown. He wore a pair of dark brown pants and wore no top, showing off his broad chest.

This man was truly an intimidating sight, sitting on a throne made of bones.

His men knew little about him. He had appeared with ten other men a few months ago and had challenged the previous leader of the gang to a one-on-one fight for leadership. The man won easily, slaughtering his foe and making his position as leader absolute.

Some men fought against his claim. They, along with the former leader, were used to create his throne.

Since his arrival, the gang had been doing extremely well. The new boss seemed to always know who and what to rob and what to let pass. The haul they had taken in had tripled since his takeover, which satisfied the rest of the gang. Truly things for them couldn't be better.

That was about to change.

The bandit leader was currently contemplating the gang's next move, when he heard a whimper nearby. He looked up to see the captive noble's daughter, locked in a small cage, crying.

She was in her late teens and beautiful, with long brown hair, deep green eyes, and a great body.

The leader growled, "Quiet", he ordered darkly, "Your whimpering grates on my ears."

Suddenly the sounds of battle reached his ears; the clang and clatter of blades, the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh, and screaming.

A bandit standing next to his throne, one of the ten who had arrived with him, looked to the entrance of the tent.

"Master" he said in a worried tone.

"At last, one has come" the leader said.

Suddenly, a single bandit, fear clear on his face, burst through the tent.

"Boss! Boss!" he called, terrified, "We're in trou-!"

The man never finished his sentence. He was impaled from behind by a curved blade. Before he could even gasp in pain, the blade was pulled violently upward, severing him in half.

Then the blades owner walked into the tent, holding a spear whose hilt seemed to be made of bone. The blade then swung down, turning the weapon into a scythe.

The other bandits, minus the leader and the ten who had arrived with him, stared in fear of the hooded man. The leader and the other ten glared at him.

"You should have stayed in the Hell, Rezen" the man said, looking at the leader.

The bandits, minus ten of them, were confused. Rezen? That wasn't the bosses name! And what did he mean by " stayed in hell"?

The bandit leader continued to glare, "And _you_ should not have come here, servant of Death" he retorted, confusing the others even more.

"You should have expected this" the hooded man said, "No one hides from us."

"Whoever said I was hiding?" the leader asked, "I knew you would find us eventually. I'm only surprised that your master wasn't wise enough to send more of you."

"One is sufficient. You overestimate your strength, demon" the man replied, further confusing most of the other bandits.

The leader growled, "It is you who _underestimates_ me" he snarled, "I have killed your kind before."

"No, you haven't" the man said, "We would know if you had. Lying will change nothing" he said. He then turned and saw the captive girl, staring at him with a mix of hope and fear on her beautiful, tear stained face.

"Is this what Lucifer's _pets_ do to get their kicks now? Kidnap defenseless girls?" he taunted.

The leader snarled at him.

The hooded man ignored this, his tone becoming serious again, "Rezen, you and your followers have violated the Balance by escaping Hell and have committed numerous crimes since then. I'm giving you and your followers a single chance to surrender and return to Hell peacefully" he told the leader before saying, darkly, "I assure you, this is the only outcome where you survive."

The leader then stood to his feet, glaring bloody murder at the hooded man.

Suddenly, the sickening sound of bones cracking and breaking engulfed the tent. The leaders skin began to bulge as something appeared to be growing inside of him, something _large_. Then, his skin began to tear as something seemed to burst out of him!

It was tall (a full nine feet), muscular, with dark skin and black fur covering it's shoulders, forearms, and legs. It's feet were hooved, like those of a horse. It had a human face, with red eyes, no hair, and two long, Ibex-like horns protruding out of its head. Around its neck, it wore a collar of what looked to be a mix of chainmail and bone, which spread down to the top of its chest in length. In width, it spread to the black fur on its shoulders. It also wore this chainmail around it's forearms, lower legs, and its waist, which was wide and resembled a kilt. It held a large scimitar in one of its hands that seemed to be made of both metal and bone.

This was a Guardian Demon, a species that ranked above some of the lesser demons in Hell's hierarchy (**The regular demon enemies in Dante's Inferno**).

Nearby, the leader's ten original followers were undergoing a similar transformation, with strange beings tearing out of their skin.

These creatures were taller than humans but shorter than the Guardian, reaching seven feet tall. They were muscular, hairless, and had scaly, bluish-purple skin. Their faces were bestial in appearance, with horse-like ears, black eyes, a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, and two curved horns on the top of their heads. A pair of small, vestigial wings adorned their backs. They wore simple, metal armor leggings on their lower bodies and metal gauntlets on their forearms. Each creature had different markings across their torso's, with things like skulls, bones, flames, thorns, and demonic symbols covering them. Each held intimidating axes, swords, maces, or spears made of either bone or metal in one of their hands.

These were Demon Soldiers, which served as the backbone of all of Hells Legions (**The Phantom Guard enemies from Darksiders**).

After removing the remaining scraps of skin from their bodies, the demons were glaring and growling at the hooded warrior.

The remaining bandits and the captive girl were nauseous and terrified at the revealing of these two species of demon. The bandits were too scared to move and the girl couldn't move because of the cage she was in.

Then, Rezen spoke, "**It is your life you should be concerned with!**" he shouted in rage. He then pointed to the hooded man, "**Tear the flesh from his bones!**" he commanded the Soldiers.

The demons roared and charged, raising their weapons.

The hooded man leapt into the air. As he flew over the Soldiers, he dropped a small pellet. When it hit the ground, it exploded into a wide smoke screen, causing the demons to search for their foe aimlessly.

The warrior landed and attacked his blinded foes. He aimed a low slash at one foe, severing it's legs, crippling it. He then used the spear mode of his weapon and impaled another Soldier from behind. He rolled to the side, in between two more oblivious demons. He tapped one on the shoulder. The Soldier let out a confused grunt and then turned around and swung it's axe in the direction it felt the tap from, bringing the blade down on the back on another Soldier's head, killing it instantly.

Seeing his smoke screen was about to dissipate he leapt into the air and landed outside of its area of effect.

The smoke then cleared, and the humans and demons in the room saw the carnage.

Two Soldiers were dead, their bodies becoming a crusted lava color before dissolving into a black smoke that reeked of sulfur and brimstone, and another was legless, crawling along the ground and bleeding.

The Soldiers then noticed their foe and roared, charging him.

To every human's surprise, the warrior charged back.

He impaled one Soldier, using it to pole-vault forward and kick another in the chest, knocking it down. He then spun around, slicing another Soldier in half. The Soldier that had been knocked down had gotten to its feet. It roared and charged forward, the warrior merely standing there. Just as the demon was about to run the warrior through with its spear, he disappeared in a puff of smoke and another (now very confused) Soldier appeared in his place. The charging Soldier was unable to stop in time and ended up impaling the other through the chest, shock evident on both of their faces. Suddenly the warrior appeared behind the demon that had charged him and swung his scythe, beheading it.

The three remaining demons then charged him. In a swirl of dark energy, the scythe shifted into an arm blade as the warrior pulled three, serrated knives from within his coat. He blocked a downward stab of one Soldier, then swiftly plunged a knife into its stomach, before moving ahead. The demon was only irritated by the blade and attempted to pull it out, only to find it would not budge! The warrior dodged a slash from the second Soldier and spun around it, stabbing another knife into its back before moving to the third Soldier. As the demon slashed, the warrior dropped to the ground, sliding between its legs and plunging the last knife into one of its legs as he went.

He then stood up and looked at the Soldiers. Each was annoyed as well as angry, being unable to remove the knives from their person's. They were about to attack again when they heard a beeping sound. The demons looked and saw that the knives had a red light on the hilt that was flashing with each beep. The beeping then grew faster. The Soldiers' eyes widened as they realized what was about to happen. They then frantically tried to remove the beeping knives. Despite their strength, none could remove their blade. The beeping was now extremely rapid now...and then stopped.

Boom!

The knives detonated, scattering bloody, demonic chunks of flesh across the room which soon dissolved.

The human's in the room stared in awe at the hooded man's victory.

Rezen, meanwhile, was seething. He looked to see the legless Soldier, the only one left, crawling towards him with a pleading expression on its face. Before it got even halfway to its master, the hooded warrior stepped on its back, before impaling it through the skull with his weapon's glaive end.

He pulled the blade out and looked up at Rezen.

"Care to surrender now?" he asked, grinning behind his hood.

Rezen roared in rage, seemingly shaking the entire cave, before leaping into the air and landing behind the man.

The warrior turned and blocked an attack from the bone-sword before spinning around behind the Guardian and slashing at his back. Rezen leapt forward, dodging it, before turning around and aiming another slash at his foe. The warrior ducked under it and kicked the demon in the side of the leg, knocking him off balance and bringing him to his knees. The warrior then kicked him in the chest, knocking him back to the front of his throne and disarming him.

"Give up Rezen, this can only end one way" the warrior warned.

Rezen snarled in fury, "**I would sooner bend my knee to the Creator than yield to a worthless fleshbag like you!**" he declared.

The Guardian then gathered demonic energy into his hands and launched a small, but powerful, ball of hellfire at his foe.

A Hellbolt.

To everyone's surprise, instead of dodging, the warrior stood still and held out one of his hands.

"Dark Release: Inhaling Maw" he murmured.

To the shock of all, the Hellbolt seemed to be sucked into his outstretched palm!

"**What?! How did you-?!**" Rezen attempted to ask before the warrior spoke again.

"Dark Release: Judgment" he murmured again.

The very same Hellbolt that had been absorbed before was launched out of his raised hand and flew back towards its master!

Before Rezen could even flinch, the Hellbolt struck him in the chest and launched him backwards. He smashed through his throne, shattering it to pieces, and out the back of the tent, where he hit the cave wall, _hard_.

Rezen groaned in pain as he attempted to stand up. Before he had even gotten halfway there, the warrior appeared in front of him and impaled him through the chest with the spear mode of his weapon.

"No one escapes the Reapers" he told the shocked demon, before yanking out the blade.

Rezen, with a pained, shocked face, reached towards his killer with one, clawed hand and then went limp, his body dissolving soon after.

The hooded warrior simply stared at the place the demon's body had been before turning and head towards the tent.

'Now' he thought, 'to take care of loose ends.'

The warrior walked into the tent to find the bandits and captive still there eyeing him with fear.

He made a cross shaped hand sign and five identical hooded men appeared next to him.

"Gather their weapons" he ordered, referring to the demon weapons. The five Shadow Clones soon began to gather the weapons and seal them into scrolls before handing him the scrolls and "poofing" out of existence.

He then approached the bandits.

"Th..." one bandit tried to speak but couldn't quite get it out. He tried again, "Th..."

"Those?" the warrior asked, finishing the word.

The bandit continued, "Were...were..."

"Not human?" he asked/finished, "No, they were not. They were demons. One Guardian Demon accompanied by ten Soldier Demons to be precise" he told them, "The Guardian possessed the body of a small time bandit leader who then forced his men to surrender their souls for his Soldiers to possess them. Rezen, the Guardian, was your _real_ boss the whole time."

The bandits were shocked by this revelation.

The warrior then continued, "He's not a problem anymore. I killed him and now..." he brandished his scythe, "I'm going to make sure you never tell anyone about what you saw today."

The bandits panicked, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait! Wait! We won't tell anyone! Not a soul! We swear!" one pleaded.

"Please" he scoffed, "You'd spill all of your secrets for a shot of sake or a free night with some whore in an instant. Besides, you're all a bunch of murderous thugs. If I let you go, you'll go back to being just that. Also" he then pointed to the captive girl, "you were intending to rape that poor girl and if it's one thing I don't tolerate, it's rapists!" He snarled.

The bandits were now trembling, "Please, just let us go! We won't do anything like that ever again!"

The warrior nodded, "That's right. You won't."

He then turned to the captive girl, "Cover your ears, close your eyes, and count too ten" he ordered. She seemed hesitant, but did so.

And with that the warrior slaughtered the whimpering thugs before him.

He finished just before she reached ten.

She opened her eyes and saw the hooded man standing at the gate to her tiny cage, his scythe holstered behind his back. The mutilated bodies of the slain thugs lay behind him. He stood in the way of her view, ensuring she wouldn't have to lay eyes on the gruesome sight.

She backed up as far as the cage would allow, which wasn't much, in fear.

"Shhhh" he told her gently, a great change from his cold tone from before, "It's alright, miss. I'm not going to hurt you" he promised.

After a moment, she relaxed, though her eyes still held a hint of fear.

"I'm going to let you out now. Is that alright?" he asked.

Not trusting her voice, she nodded.

The warrior then grabbed the door to her cage and, with a small grunt, tore it off its hinges before throwing it across the room, shocking the former prisoner with his strength.

With the door now open, the girl crawled out and stood up, only for her legs to wobble and give way, the cause being her being locked away in a space where she could not stand for a few days.

The hooded warrior caught her in mid fall and she couldn't help but blush at the feeling of his muscular chest underneath his clothes.

The warrior gently set her down and kneeled next to her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

She waited a moment before answering, "K-Kyomi" he replied in a shaky voice.

"'Pure Beauty'. Well, it certainly fits" he said smiling beneath his hood.

Kyomi blushed.

"T-thank you for rescuing me" she said.

He smiled beneath his hood, "You are most welcome."

He then saw she was still trembling.

"I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I saw a large group of samurai wandering around nearby" he told her, "They are likely looking for you. They'll probably be here soon."

Kyomi's eyes widened, those were her father's men!

The hooded man continued, "Unfortunately, I can't be here when they arrive, so this is where we part ways. But first, I need to ensure you will never tell them or anyone else what happened."

Kyomi began to back away in fear.

He held up his hands, "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you", he promised, "I'm just going to wipe your memory of what happened here."

Kyomi relaxed, "You...you can do that?" she asked.

He nodded, "Of course, just look into my eyes" he said as he approached her.

"Wait!" she said, giving him pause, "Will I remember you? Will I ever see you again?" she asked.

The man was now directly in front of her, "I'll see you", he told her, "But you won't see me."

He looked into her eyes. His eyes seemed to glow white for a moment before returning to normal. Barely a second later, Kyomi's eyes glowed white before returning to normal. She then proceeded to pass out, with the warrior slowly lowering her to the ground.

He stood up and heard the sounds of the samurai entering the cave.

'Time to go', he thought before disappearing in a swirl of shadows.

He reappeared outside the cave just as the last samurai entered it. He then raised a hand to his ear.

"Mission complete. Bring me home."

And with that he vanished.

**The Palace of Decay, headquarters of the Reaper Corps in the Void:**

The hooded man reappeared within a large room of the castle, where several others were gathered, talking and preparing. A group of hooded figures were aiding the others in there preparations.

"Welcome back, Reaper Uzumaki" one of the Attendants said in their usual, whispering tone.

The hooded man then removed his hood, revealing a handsome face, with three whisker marks on either side of his cheeks and spiky, blonde hair.

"It's good to be back" Naruto Uzumaki said as he left the room to report to his master.

It has been four years since Naruto's "death" and the years had been kind to him.

He was taller now, more muscular, and had lost all of his baby fat. He was no longer an impatient, hyperactive little kid, he was now a full-fledged Reaper; an intelligent, calculating slayer of the supernatural.

Since joining, he hadn't regretted being a part of the Corps for even a moment.

What Death had warned him about was true, the training had been brutal, but the end result was worth it. He was stronger, faster, and tougher than ever before. In addition to this, time passed differently here; while he had only been gone four years in Earth time, he had been in the Void for eight. Thus, Naruto had eight years of training under his belt.

The training took years, but, eventually, he was awarded by being made a true member of the Corps. He had served as a Reaper proudly for the past two Void years (the equivalent of one Earth year) and had already earned the respect and friendship of most of his fellows. He had yet to learn to harness the full potential of the power given to him, but he was making progress.

Despite having lived in the Void for eight years, his body was still aging in Earth years, so he was, technically, 15 years old.

As he made his way to the throne room, where Death resided, he was interrupted by a regular annoyance that plagued the palace.

"**Ah, you've returned, Naruto**" the voice said in a smooth voice, "**I trust your mission went well?**"

Naruto sighed mentally and turned.

Standing in front of him was a creature. It was unnaturally thin and taller than he was by about two feet. It had a demonic face, blue, scaly skin, emerald eyes without pupils, and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It had two large horns growing out of its head and two small, stunted wings wrapped in bandages on its back. Its arms were thin and had numerous golden bands on them. The arms seemed comical when compared to the large, clawed hands that were attached to them. It had no legs to speak of and merely floated above the ground. Around it's waist, it wore long, flowing cloth, almost dress-like in appearance, with strange patterns extending downwards. On its head, it wore a headdress that extended down to its mid-shoulders. At the top of the headdress was two black horns with a small, demonic, skull shaped accessory. The creature's chest was bare, save for a strange eye-shaped medallion that appeared to be fused to its chest, right over where the heart would be. Dangling from this medallion was three small hooks. Finally, around it's waist dangled a large variety of scrolls, trinkets, and baubles.

This was Vulgrim, one of the few demons who could walk (well, float) freely through the palace's halls and not be slaughtered on sight.

"What do you want Vulgrim?" Naruto asked in an annoyed tone.

A false, hurt expression appeared on the demon's face, as he clutched where his heart was.

"**Oh, how you wound me with your words, young one!**" he said in a false tone of pain, "**Can't a humble merchant have a simple chat an old friend?**" he asked.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "You don't have _friends_ Vulgrim. You have _customers_", he told the demon.

Said demon chuckled darkly, "**Quite right**", he conceded, "**Very well, on to business.**"

Vulgrim was a merchant by trade, with connections across all realms, and the Reaper Corps was one of his best clients. Vulgrim was known for being able to acquire any item, no matter it's rarity, and this was one of the reasons the Corps kept him around. That and, with his connections, he was a veritable wealth of information.

He was an annoyance, but a useful one. One who was wise enough not to betray them.

Vulgrim continued to speak, "**I came by to collect on the last of the payment you owe me**" he told the blonde Reaper while floating around him in circles, "**Gathering information on the whereabouts of that coven of Necromancers was neither easy nor cheap, you know.**"

Naruto sighed, remembering he still owed the demon for a mission he completed awhile back.

"Very well" he sighed. He unholstered his scythe and held it out in front of him. For a moment, nothing happened. And then, the eyes of both of the demonic faces on either side of the scythe began to glow and a strange, pale-green energy began to seep out of it. It began to swirl around before floating towards Vulgrim. The demon grinned as he opened his mouth wide and inhaled. The strange energy was sucked into Vulgrim's mouth. After a few seconds of this, the energy was all gone, straight down the demon's gullet.

Vulgrim closed his mouth, "**Mmm...**" he said, satisfied with his meal, "**A Guardian was in there, aged perfectly...**"

While most demons preferred to devour the souls of mortals, Vulgrim had learned to feed off of the Soul Energy of most other creatures, even his own kind. Most of his customers paid in gold or precious gems as well as rare and valuable artifacts, but the demonic merchant excepted Soul Energy as well and the Reaper Corps provided this in abundance. Reaper weapons could harvest this energy from all the enemies they had slain. This energy could be used for many purposes, but most of it was used to pay for Vulgrim's "services".

Naruto then holstered his weapon, "I trust this makes us even?" he asked.

"**Hmm?**" he asked, lost in his own little world, "**Oh. Yes...yes, it most certainly does**" he replied, "**Now, I believe our business is concluded**", he said, before grinning, "**Unless you'd like to browse my wares?**" he asked hopefully.

"No thank you."

Vulgrim shrugged, "**Suit yourself. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.**"

And with that he floated off.

'Greedy son of a bitch' Naruto mentally grumbled before continuing on to the throne room. He then paused, remembering the weapons he had taken from the demons.

'Better turn these in before meeting the boss' he thought.

He then turned to another hallway and continued walking.

**The Foundry:**

The sounds of hammers meeting metal, grindwheels sharpening blades, and grunts of exertion echoed throughout the room as dozens of blacksmiths were at work. And what a room it was! It was huge and was covered with all the smelting and blacksmith equipment a craftsman could ever want or need.

As Naruto moved through the room, he smelled smoke and sweat. He could feel the intense heat even before he walked in. It was fortunate that all members of the Corps had a greater resilience to heat and cold than living humans, otherwise everyone in the room would be dehydrated and overcome with heatstroke.

After a few moments, he finally made his way to the Forgemaster.

He was taller than Naruto by a great deal, standing at a whopping 15 feet tall. He was heavily muscular, bare-chested, and covered in ash and soot. Despite his intimidating build, it was not his most distinctive feature. What really caused him to stand out was his hair and beard. Both were thick and dirty, but they also seemed to be made of fire!

He was currently busy with his massive forge and didn't notice his visitor.

"Hephaestus!" Naruto called out, getting the giant's attention.

So focused on his work, the Forgemaster jumped up in surprise at the sound of his name, his head hitting a large rack of hanging tools.

"**Ow, shite! Son of a bitch!**" he swore in a deep Scottish accent, holding his forehead in pain.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

Hephaestus turned and saw him, "**Glad yah find this so fuckin' funny yah cheeky little bastard**" he growled out.

Naruto managed to control himself enough to speak, "Sorry old man", he said, "But you have to admit it's funny to see a god bang his head like that."

"_**Former**_** god**" Hephaestus corrected, his forehead finally stopped throbbing. He then looked at the Blonde Reaper and smiled, knowing it was all in good fun, "**So,** **what can I do fer yah blondie?**" he asked.

Hephaestus was once one of the Olympian Gods and crafted a great many items, weapons, and armor of legendary status for his fellows on Mount Olympus. Despite his skill, he was treated like an abusive parent would treat an ugly stepchild and kept him hidden away, something Naruto could relate to. When the Divinity War broke out, Hephaestus chose to stay neutral and thus, when the pagan gods were defeated, he was among the few that was spared the Creator's wrath. Alone and without purpose, Death approached the smith god and offered him a place in the Corps, a place where he could practice his craft in peace and be appreciated for it as head of the Smiths. He agreed and had been forging weapons and armor for the Corps since, a decision he has not regretted in the slightest.

A tick mark appeared on Naruto's head at the nickname. He decided not to retort and pulled out a scroll. He channeled his Chakra into it and, with a "poof", eleven demonic weapons appeared on the floor between the two.

"**Ah, more material**" he said before picking up an axe, "**I tell yah, demon weapons are made in two forms: brilliant or fuckin' terrible. I mean, look a' this thing!**" he said holding up the axe, "**Looks like some fuckin' hellbeast ate it, threw it up, swallowed it again, and then shit it out!**" he pointed out, "**I mean, with angel weapons, yah, a' least get a decent-looking weapon, even if their dainty as shite!**"

Naruto simply stood there quietly. Hephaestus could talk for hours about the quality weapons and armor and it was best not to interrupt a former god.

The Forgemaster then shrugged, "**Ah well, a' least their good fer material. Thanks lad.**"

Naruto nodded, "Anytime" he told the former smith god before remembering he still needed to see Death, "Well, I've got to go see the boss. Take care old man."

Hephaestus nodded, "**You too lad.**"

Naruto then turned and left, leaving the old smith to his work.

**The Withered Throne:**

Naruto walked into the throne room and saw Death hard at work.

The Lord of Bones was sitting on a large, stone throne with bones carved on it. The ends of the armrests were two large stone skulls. At the top of the throne was a demonic skull.

Currently, the Grim Reaper was judging the soul of a shade in front of him.

The shade was standing on a circular section of the floor, which was sunken into the floor, allowing Death to look down on it. The floor section was covered in small, symbols, carved into the floor.

Like all shades, it had no defining features and left no way of telling who it once was. It's build, however, was obviously male.

Death was currently glaring down at the quivering shade.

"**You have spent your entire life living off of the misery of others**" he told the shade, "**To satisfy your greed, you have committed unspeakable atrocities against your fellow men and women. Murder, theft, rape**" he listed and then snarled, "**And you have the gall to ask me for **_**mercy**_**? To the Inferno with you! See your life as you truly lived!**"

At these words, a portal opened under the shades feet, radiating heat and echoing with the screams of the damned. He fell through it, screaming. The portal closed as quickly as it had opened.

Death pinched the bridge of his nose.

"**What a wasted life**" he said tiredly.

He then felt the presence and looked up.

"**Ah, Naruto. Excellent timing, I was just finishing up with the last of the bandit clan you slaughtered**" he told his servant, "**I trust this means Rezen has been dealt with?**"

Naruto walked to his master and then kneeled.

"He has, master. Rezen and his followers will trouble mankind no longer" he told Death.

The Head Reaper grinned, "**Excellent. I knew you would be up to the task.**"

"I am honored to serve" he said humbly.

Death nodded, "**Speaking of serving, I have something to discuss with you**" he told the blonde Reaper before standing, "**Walk with me.**"

Naruto stood and followed Death. The two stopped at a balcony overlooking the Void.

The realm certainly lived up to its name. The landscape was dominated by mountains and canyons all a dull grey. The land was covered with bones and skeletons. Some were from creatures so large, they rivaled the mountains in sheer size! What looked like snow was raining down on them. In reality, it wasn't snow, but ash. Despite its bleakness, the view was astonishing.

"You picked a real peach of a world to settle down on boss" Naruto told Death, humor present in his tone.

Death shrugged, not minding the lack of formality, "**I like the quiet. The scenery isn't bad either.**"

The two chuckled a bit and were then silent for a few moments.

Finally, Death broke the silence, "**It has been four human years since you've arrived here. In that time, you have trained and prepared. You have exceeded my expectations for you and are a proud member of the Corps**" he paused for a bit before continuing, "**And now,** **the time has come for you to return to the life you left behind.**"

Naruto quickly spun around and faced his master, "It's finally time?" he asked eagerly.

Death nodded, "**Yes. The genin placements are coming up in Konoha and you are more than ready.**"

Naruto was now giddy with excitement. He had been wait for this moment for years! Finally, he would be allowed to see his loved ones again! Not only that, but he could finally walk the streets of Konoha without fear!

"When do I leave?" Naruto asked, barely containing himself.

"**Tomorrow**" Death answered, "**The exams are the day after you arrive and arriving a day early will help you acclimatize to the village.**"

Naruto nodded, understanding, "I'll go prepare then" he then bowed and turned to leave when his master stopped him.

"**Not so fast**" Death said, causing Naruto to halt and turn to face him, "**There are a few things I'd like to address first for when you arrive. Firstly, no showing off your powers to much; I'd like you to keep a low profile for the time being. Only unleash your true power when the situation demands it.**"

Naruto nodded, agreeing.

"**Secondly, when you arrive, you will speak to the Sandaime and tell him everything about what you have become and what you do.**"

Naruto's eyes widened, "Everything?" he asked skeptically.

"_**Everything**_**. The Corps, our purpose, the existence of the supernatural, all of it**" Death answered, "**Your duties as a Reaper will likely require you to take many leaves of absence from the village. The Hokage will need to authorize them and for that, he must know **_**exactly**_** what is you do. Leaving the village without his consent will give the petulant fools on the council an excuse to brand you as a missing-nin**" he explained.

The blonde Reaper nodded, "I understand" he then smirked, "The old man's gonna have a heart attack when he hears about this."

Death chuckled, "**Yes, most likely. But it will no doubt be entertaining**" he then became serious again, "**Thirdly, when you meet with him, you will have him hand over your inheritance. I will not have my representative on Earth living in a vermin infested apartment complex.**"

Naruto nodded again.

He had learned about his parents, after his first two years in the Void. His mother was Kushina Uzumaki and his father Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. Naruto had been furious at first, but Death soon calmed him down, explaining why his father had done what he did to him; for the safety of the village. He told the boy that his parents had loved him very much and had looked forward to meeting him. It took quite a bit of convincing but he finally forgave his father and vowed to make both of his parents proud.

Death continued, "**Fourthly, you take 'you-know-who' with you**" he ordered.

Naruto smirked, "Why? She too much for you guys?" he teased, knowing who he was talking about.

"**She gets anxious enough when you leave on missions. Creator knows **_**what**_** she'll do if you go home without her and I don't feel like having to deal with her rampaging through the palace**" he told his subordinate.

Naruto chuckled, "Alright, alright, I'll take her with me. It'll be good for her to stretch her legs for a bit. But won't people ask questions about her?" he asked.

"**You can tell people she's a type of Summon or animal companion. The Inuzuka's have their dogs, the Aburame's have their insects, and you have...her**" he explained.

Naruto laughed, "She's a bit different from most pets, though."

Death shrugged, "**Deal with it however you wish but you can't leave her here, everyone else is nervous enough as it is.**"

"Alright, whatever you say boss" he said, still smiling.

"**Good**" the Reaper said before continuing, "**Finally, keep an eye on the advisor on the village council known as Danzo Shimura. He is a die-hard patriot but I suspect he has dealings with a...**_**paranormal**_** source. On a more personal note, he hates the Sandaime for holding the position he has desired for decades. His bitterness festers in him like an infected wound and I suspect he'll take any opportunity to seize control.**"

"Like dealing with demons" Naruto said.

The Reaper nodded, "**Precisely. Desperation and greed can make men do terrible things**" he warned, "**But be warned, he has a great amount of influence in Konoha and Fire Country as a whole, If you move against him, he will use this against you. I have seen what lies within his black heart, he holds a desire to conquer the other nations and, if he becomes Hokage, he will likely start a war that will consume the Earth.**"

Naruto was confused, "I thought it wasn't our place to interfere in the affairs of humanity?"

Death nodded, "**It isn't. But you are going to be a shinobi of Konoha and will have to protect it from all threats, foreign and domestic. Danzo's reign will likely destroy Konoha and everyone in it, something I'm sure you wish to avoid.**"

"Do you want me to kill him?" Naruto asked.

"**Only if he has dealings with the forces of Hell or others who seek to do humanity harm, may you kill him in the name of the Corps**" Naruto was about to protest when Death spoke again, "_**But**_**, if he shows his true colors and commits treason against Konoha, you, as a ninja, will be free to deal with him as you see fit. I advise caution, if you attack without proof, he will rally the village against you. My advice is to bring him down when you have sufficient evidence. Even then, be wary, he is more powerful than he appears**" he warned.

Naruto nodded, "I understand master" he said, before realizing something, he didn't know what the man looked like. "What does he look like?" he asked, voicing his mental question.

"**Look for the one-eyed, one-armed old man staring at you like you're a prize to be won**" he explained, "**Which reminds me, Danzo controls a private army of emotionless shinobi called ROOT, an organization that was outlawed by the Sandaime many years ago. He constantly seeks to bolster his forces and will see you as potential 'recruit' and will likely try to kidnap and brainwash you into becoming his mindless weapon simply because you hold Kurama. Who knows what he'll do when he finds out what you can **_**really**_** do.**"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "He would go that far?" he asked.

Death nodded, "**He already has. He tried to raise you in his ROOT division as a mindless tool, but the Sandaime stopped him, hoping to give you a proper childhood.**"

Naruto began to hate this man, who he had never met before, and became even more grateful to the old Hokage for sparing him that fate.

"I understand master. I will exercise the utmost caution" he said, bowing, "Was there anything else?"

"**No**" Death told him, "**You may leave and prepare for tomorrow, it will be a busy day for you. Meet me at the Well tomorrow at noon, I will personally see you off**" he ordered, referring to the room where all Reapers are transported to Earth.

Naruto bowed again, "By your leave then."

He then turned around and walked towards his quarters to prepare.

Death sighed mentally and looked out upon the landscape.

'**The journey ahead will be difficult for you, Naruto**' he thought grimly, '**May my brother watch over you.**'

**Naruto's Quarters, a few minutes later:**

Naruto closed the door to his room and sighed.

His room was small, only large enough to accommodate his needs like all of the other living quarters in the palace.

Naruto walked over to his bed and sat down on it.

"**Something wrong kit?**" a voice in his mind asked.

Normally, hearing voices in one's head was a sign of insanity, but Naruto was a special case.

'No, Kurama. Well, yes. I mean, I'm excited about going home...but on the other hand...' he trailed off.

"**You worry your loved ones will think less of you when they hear what you've done**" the fox answered.

Naruto nodded, 'Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of being a Reaper, but I've killed so many people. I know they deserved it but still...'

"**Kit, listen to me, you are one of the bravest, wisest, and kindest souls I have ever met. Your precious people may be surprised after hearing your exploits, but I **_**know**_** they will never stop caring about you. You, the boy who brought so much light into their lives**" the old fox said in a warm and reassuring tone.

Naruto smiled a bit, 'Thanks, Kurama. I'm glad we're partners now.'

Kurama shook his head, "**Not partners**" he corrected, "**Friends.**"

Naruto smiled even more at that.

Over the last several years, Naruto had learned to communicate with his Biju. The two were not on friendly terms at the start, considering the fox was the reason Naruto's life had been so difficult. When the fox had explained to Naruto that he had been forced to attack the village and had once been imprisoned within his mother, Naruto eventually found it in his heart to forgive him. After knowing each other for years, the two were now close friends and the fox even trusted his jailer enough to tell him his real name: Kurama. Naruto had even changed his mindscape into a vast forest and turned to cage into a collar, allowing Kurama to run free in his mind.

Naruto then realized something.

"Oh shit" he suddenly said, "What time is it?" he asked before glancing up at the clock on the wall, "Shit! It's getting late, I need to go feed Beatrice!" he said as he got up, exited his room, and quickly made his way to the dungeon, where his pet was held.

Kurama chuckled, "**Better hurry up boy**" he told his container in a humorous tone, "**You don't want her to smash her way through the palace, searching for something to eat...or **_**someone**_**!**"

Remembering what happened the last time he was late feeding his pet, Naruto moved faster.

Kurama, meanwhile, was laughing at his panic...before suddenly becoming sad.

'**Friends**' "he" thought to "himself", remembering what "he" had said during their earlier conversation, '**Yes...just...friends.**'

**The Next Morning:**

Naruto awoke from a rather pleasant dream. He couldn't remember much about it, but he did remember the smell of lavender.

He heard Kurama laughing in his mind.

'What's so funny?' he asked.

"**Oh, nothing. Nothing at all**" the fox answered.

Deciding to ignore his tenant, Naruto got dressed and headed down to the mess hall for something to eat.

Just because most of the people here didn't need to eat, doesn't mean they don't like to!

As he made his way there, Naruto noticed a lack of people moving through the palace. Normally, the palace was a very busy place, but now it seemed almost empty.

Naruto felt a surge of power coming from _Harvest_, the blade was worried as well.

"I know" he told his weapon, "This _is_ weird."

As Naruto opened the great doors to the mess hall, he was blasted by a loud chorus of "SURPRISE!"

Jumping in surprise, Naruto almost pulled out his weapon when he saw the sight before him.

In the large room, nearly every member of the Corps had gathered for some type of celebration and they were all smiling at him. Nearly all members of all units were there, including Hephaestus, who towered over the rest, Io, the old inventor who leads the Makers unit, the man known only as "The Scribe" who now leads the Scholars unit of the Corps, and even Death himself.

"At last!" a deep, baritone voice cried out, "The guest of honor has arrived!"

Naruto looked and saw a very large (though not as large as Hephaestus), muscular man wearing the standard cloak and hood of the Corps, hiding his features.

"Krumar-sensei?" Naruto asked, knowing who the man was, despite not being able to see his face, "What's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious?" another cloaked man with a British accent asked, "We're celebrating your return to life!"

"Palinus is correct" another man said in an accent one would find in some regions of Africa "The spirits have declared this to be a day of joyous celebration" the Reaper known as Xolom amended.

"You didn't think we'd let you go without a party, did you?" another cloaked figure, a woman this time, said in a light voice. This Reaper was known as Cyora.

"Your journey will be difficult. Before you embark, it is best you relax among friends and colleagues" the calm, thoughtful voice of the Reaper Shahram spoke.

Naruto was stunned and was as touched, "I...I don't know what to say" he told them all honestly.

"Nothing needs to be said" another cloaked figure, another woman, spoke in a low voice, "except 'thank you' perhaps."

Cyora rolled her eyes behind her hood, "Way to kill the mood Riaza."

"I fail to see how pointing out the obvious has 'killed the mood'" Riaza replied.

Naruto looked upon the cloaked Reapers who had spoken, his sensei's for the past several years.

"**In any case**" Death said interrupted, "**Your time with us has been memorable and you have made friends among the Corps. Friends who would wish you well and celebrate your resurrection.**"

"**Here, here!**" Hephaestus called out.

Death then spoke again, "**We have a few hours before you depart, use them well.**"

"To Naruto Uzumaki!" Krumar said holding up a mug of ale, "The obnoxious little bastard who's made us all proud!"

"To Naruto!" everyone chorused at once.

Said blonde had never been happier as he looked out on the people who had become more than friends to him. More than comrades. They were his family.

And he couldn't be happier.

**Hours later:**

After the celebration, Naruto was escorted to the Well by his master and friends.

The Well was a large portal that would take the person who entered it wherever the user wanted. No one (except Death) knew how it worked but no one could deny its usefulness.

"So" Naruto said, "This is it."

Death nodded, "**Indeed, it is finally time**" he answered, "**But before you go, I have two more gifts to give you.**"

Death held out a clawed hand and, in a swirl of dark energy, a scroll appeared in it.

"**You've done well in learning the first level techniques of ****Dark Release**" he told his subordinate, "**And, now, I believe you are ready to learn the next few.**"

He then handed the scroll to Naruto.

The Dark Release bloodline was a not a part of Naruto's family history. No one in his family tree had ever awakened it. This was because the bloodline didn't exist in his family. Naruto had gained the bloodline from Death. The bloodline was created generations ago and granted to a clan of humans by the Reaper, who believed they would use it for just purposes, which they did. However, in recent years, the clan began to die out, with the last member being murdered under mysterious circumstances. Seeking to reintroduce the power to a new clan, Death chose the last of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto Uzumaki, to bear his gift. He had only allowed Naruto to learn the two most basic techniques so far: Dark Release: Inhaling Maw, which allowed the user to absorb chakra (and spells, in Naruto's case) through their palms, even from jutsu, and Dark Release: Judgment, which allowed the user to use the absorbed to launch blue flames back at the attacker to either burn or knock back with concussive force or (in Naruto's case) to be able to send the same attack back at the attacker. Normally, the use of Dark Release required a special brand to be placed into one or more of the users palms, but Naruto was a special case, having received the bloodline from the source.

Now, Naruto was being given the chance to learn even more.

He couldn't wait.

"Thank you, master" Naruto said bowing.

"**You're welcome**" Death answered, "**But I have one last gift for you.**"

With another swirl of energy, a large ornate box appeared in the Lord of Bone's hands.

"**Well, actually it's from...someone else, but I was asked to deliver it to you.**"

Death then opened the box.

Inside, laid gently in the center, was a cross.

But this was no ordinary cross.

It was silver in color, with gems incrusted into it. It was covered in strange runes.

Naruto could feel the power radiating from it.

"**This is a powerful relic**" Death told the blonde, "**One of Heaven's most cherished treasures. This is the **_**Crucifix**_**. It contains limitless divine power. Power that comes from within it, from a thorn of Christ's Crown of Thorns. The blood of the Creator flows through it.**"

Everyone in the room, besides Death, gawked in awe at the cross.

"Holy shit" Krumar whispered.

Several people kneeled and began to pray, the highly religious Shahram included.

Everyone else was silent. There were no words.

Death continued, "**Naruto...you have been chosen to wield it.**"

Everyone was even more shocked, but none more so than Naruto himself.

"...Me?" he asked after finally finding his voice, "Why?"

"**I do not know**" Death answered truthfully, "**Nor do I know who sent it. It came with a message that told me to give it to you. The message contained the seal of the Archangels**" he then smiled, "**Apparently, you've made some friends upstairs.**"

Naruto reached towards it with a trembling hand. He hesitates for a moment...and then grabs it gently and holds it up.

He felt a strange sense of warmth flow through his body, a comforting feeling of peace and love.

The blonde Reaper gazed at the beautiful cross, in awe of it.

"What kind of power does it possess?" he asked, looking up at his master.

"**Holy power**" he answers, "**The light it emits burns all evil creatures and causes unimaginable pain to them. Wicked souls burn at its touch. It fires holy energy at those it is directed towards that only harming evil beings**" Death explained, "**But its most powerful ability...is the power to absolve any soul of all their sins. Even the most wicked of souls can be absolved by its holy light.**"

Everyone was now even more astonished by this revelation.

The power to absolve any sin...

Only the Creator possessed this power.

And now, so did Naruto.

"**Other powers may reveal themselves in time.** **The message stated that you are to use it however you wish, as long as your intentions are good and just. But be warned**" he told the blonde, "**You must only use the power of absolve on those who are worthy redemption.**"

Naruto nodded, "I understand master" he said, while inwardly vowing to be worthy of using it and to validate the trust of whoever had given him the _Crucifix_.

"**Also**" Death said, stirring Naruto out of his thoughts, "**The **_**Crucifix**_** has bonded to you in the same way **_**Harvest**_** has. None but you are able to use it.**"

Naruto continued to stare at the relic before realizing something.

"How do I use it?" he asked.

"**In time, the **_**Crucifix**_** will show you**" his master answered.

Naruto gave the relic one more glance before placing it in his coat, along with the scroll he had received.

"Thank you master" he said to Death, bowing, "And please tell whoever sent this thank you and assure them I will use the _Crucifix_ wisely."

Death nodded, "**I will**" he promised.

A few moments of silence passed before Death spoke again.

"**Well, it's about time for you to go.**"

Naruto's friends gathered around to say there farewells.

"Good luck to you boy" Krumar told him, giving him a powerful pat on the back, "Show them what a _real_ warrior can do."

Naruto smiled and nodded, "I will, Krumar" he promised.

"Fight with honor and valor my friend" Palinus told him.

"Always" Naruto vowed.

Xolom then stepped forward, "The spirits favor you Naruto. Nevertheless, I wish you good fortune on your journey."

"Thank you Xolom."

Cyora then stepped forward and gave him a sisterly hug, "Be safe, brother."

Naruto returned the hug, "You as well, sister."

Shahram bowed in respect, "I do not know what lies ahead of you my friend" he said, "But I know you will make us all proud."

Naruto bowed in return.

Riaza then stepped forward, "I'm...not very good at this but..." she then pulled him into a quick hug before backing away before Naruto could return it.

"Good luck Naruto" she told him, "Fight well."

The others couldn't help but chuckle at her awkwardness.

Hephaestus then lumbered forward, "**You take care o' yerself, yah hear me lad? And you take even better care of that scythe of yers, I didn't forge it just so you could it up.**"

Naruto smiled and nodded, "I will old man and don't worry about _Harvest_, it's in good hands."

Naruto then turned to his master and bowed.

"Thank you, master, for everything."

Death smiled, "**It was my pleasure. Just remember that no matter what happens, you will always have a home here**" he assured the blonde Reaper.

Naruto nodded and walked towards the Well and looked down at the swirling vortex of energy.

He turned to his family and gave them one last wave before leaping into the Well, quickly disappearing.

'**Creator favor you, young one**' Death thought.

**Konoha:**

Naruto reappeared in a swirl of dark energy and looked around. He appeared to be in a deserted ally.

'Good' he thought, 'No witnesses to that little display.'

Naruto then unholstered _Harvest_ and looked at it.

"Well, pal, time for you to blend in" he told his sentient weapon.

The scythe quivered.

"Don't give me that" he told the protesting weapon, "Your liable to scare the shit out of everyone who sees you and will likely draw attention to us and we don't want that..._yet_."

_Harvest_ relented and, in yet another swirl of energy, transformed into a meter long scepter with a silver skull at the top.

Naruto twirled the staff in his hand.

"There" he said, "was that so difficult?" he asked.

The scythe grumbled.

Smiling, Naruto then pulled up his hood, concealing his face and walked out of the ally.

It was high noon in Konoha, with people moving through the streets performing their everyday tasks.

Naruto noticed that he was in the market district, close to where he had been "killed".

"**Doesn't look like anything has changed**" Kurama noted.

'Nope, just a normal, peaceful day in sunny Konohagakure' he thought before smirking, 'for now.'

Kurama chuckled at this, "**Yes, just wait until everyone realizes that the 'demon brat' has escaped death and has returned.**"

Naruto laughed inwardly, imagining the villagers reactions in response to his sudden return.

He then looked towards the Hokage Tower.

'Well' he thought, 'time to pay the old man a visit, here's hoping he doesn't have a heart attack.'

And with that Naruto began walking towards the tower, just another figure in the crowd.

**Hokage's Office, The Hokage Tower:**

Hiruzen Sarutobi was, normally, a very serious person. Renowned for his knowledge and skill, the Sandaime Hokage was respected by his people and feared by his enemies.

Yet, unbeknownst to all except a select few, the old kage did have one weakness. A weakness so crippling that, were it ever used against him, it would mean his absolute and total defeat.

And that weakness was...Icha Icha.

Yes, the famous/infamous Sandaime Hokage held a great weakness for the erotic novel series that his student, Jiraiya, had created.

In the old man's humble opinion, no other work of literature could rival what his literary genius of a student had forged from the fires of his own imagination!

He couldn't help but scoff at remembering that Death had been "supremely disappointed" in the work of art.

The current novel he was reading was a brand new edition to the series. He was about to get to the best part when...

"Working hard I see."

The Sandaime, jumped out of his chair and looked around frantically for the source of the voice that had interrupted his reading.

He heard chuckling and looked to the window, where a hooded figure holding a scepter of some kind was leaning up against the wall.

"Did I startle you?" the hooded figure asked.

The Sandaime calmed himself and fell into a fighting stance.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" he demanded.

The figure clutched at his heart.

"Oji-san I'm hurt" he said in a tone of mock emotional pain, "Surely you still remember me after all these years!"

The figure then removed his hood.

The old kage was greeted by a familiar face, one that had spiky, blonde hair and blue eyes.

At first, Hiruzen thought that this was the Yondaime, until he saw the whisker marks on his face.

"N-naruto?" he asked.

Naruto smiled, "Yep. I'm back old man."

The Sandaime suddenly leapt over his desk and hugged the boy who he saw as a surrogate grandson, a hug which was returned.

The two separated after a moment and the old man looked over the blonde young man.

"I...I almost can't believe it" he said, "But you're really here! Just like he said you would be!"

Naruto smiled, "You mean Death, yes?" he asked.

The old man looked surprised.

"Why the surprise jiji?" he asked, "Surely he told you he had made me an offer? An offer that I accepted?"

"Y-yes he did" the old kage answered, "And he told me you would tell me more when you returned" he told the blonde.

Naruto smiled even more, "You might want to have seat, old man" he told the Sandaime Hokage, "This is gonna be a _long_ story."

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**And that's the end of that chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**I've given you a taste of what the Reaper Corps faces every day and a small show of Naruto's power. In addition, Death seems to have it in for a certain old war hawk. He'd better watch his back.**

**Also, yes, I gave Naruto the ****Dark Release**** bloodline and the cross that Dante uses in the game. And yes, I put Vulgrim from Darksiders into the story. Every organization has their suppliers and the "guy who knows things". For this role I chose Vulgrim, I like him as a character and he seemed to fit the bill perfectly.**

**I also made Hephaestus, a Greek God, as the Forgemaster for the Corps and I gave him a Scottish accent, just 'cause. To answer any questions, yes a few pagan gods will appear in this series.**

**I also gave Naruto a pet, who you'll meet later on.**

**The other Reapers in this chapter will appear later in the series. I'll be spectacular!**

**One last thing, I've been thinking about putting up a Codex at the end of each chapter in my stories about the characters, creatures, and other lore to add to the experience. Keep in mind, these won't be in every story.**

**Here's the Codex for the first chapter (imagine it being narrated by the guy who does the narrations of the Codex in the Mass Effect series if you wish):**

**The Creator: The maker of all things, the Creator is the embodiment of light and life. After creating the universe, and all who dwell within it, he retreated from the world of mortals and now silently watches over all of Creation. Despite living in Paradise, only the Archangels ever see the Creator and even **_**that**_** is a rarity. To his angels, he is life itself. To humanity, he is a god to be worshipped and loved, appearing in all faiths and beliefs. To the denizens of Hell, however, he is the being they are taught to hate and fear above all others. No matter the case, the Creator is eternal and his life is tied to Creation itself.**

**Archangel: To be revealed.**

**Death: Also known as the Grim Reaper, the Destroyer of Worlds, The Shinigami, and the Lord of Bones, among other names and titles, Death is the end of all things and the entity whom all living beings must eventually face. Along with the Creator, Death is one of the two oldest beings in the universe. As such, he is a being of limitless power. Death appears in all human cultures and religions, with his appearance varying with each group. This is because Death is a shapeshifter, and often changes his appearance at the end of each Age. Death's purpose in Creation is to collect the souls of the deceased to judge and send to the appropriate afterlife. Because he straddles the worlds of life and afterlife, he was the first and best choice by the Creator to protect humanity from the corrupting influence of Hell and others. He is the founder of the Reaper Corp, a supernatural police force that preserves the delicate truce between Heaven, Hell, and Earth.**

**Heaven: Also known as Paradise, Heaven is the brightest and most holy realm in all of Creation. It is here that the race known as Angel was born and thrives and it serves as the throne of the Creator. It is said that words or drawings cannot describe it's beauty, but all who have seen it have agreed that it fits it's name perfectly. When the souls of the good and just die, they are sent to Heaven to live in peace and splendor for all eternity. The ultimate goal of demonkind is to conquer and control Heaven, to twist it into their version of perfection. Because of this, Heaven's Armies stand ready to defend it with their lives, no matter the cost; for if Paradise were to fall, all of Creation would surely fall with it.**

**Hell: The opposite of Heaven; Hell, also called the Inferno, is the most horrifying realm in all of Creation. Hell was once a barren wasteland, where Lucifer and his followers were banished after they were defeated in the Civil War of Heaven. Lucifer soon twisted the empty realm into a place of sin and terror. It was in this pit of suffering that demonkind was born. Hell is ruled by Lucifer, with his chosen Demon Lords beneath him and everyone else beneath them. Aside from this, Hell is a Meritocracy, where each citizen fights for territory and the most valuable commodity in Hell: the souls of mortals. The strongest rule and the weak serve. It is here the souls of the damned reside, suffering for all eternity. Despite ruling over it, Hell is a much a prison to demons as it is to the tortured souls sentenced there. Because of this, many demons often attempt to escape Hell through many different means, the most common (and effective) of which is the possession of a human host.**

**Lucifer: Fallen Archangel, ruler of Hell and all within it. Evil personified. The rest to be revealed.**

**The Civil War of Heaven: To be revealed.**

**The Void: A barren realm, filled with mountains, canyons, ash, bones, death, and decay, the Void is the domain of Death, and the base of operations for the Reaper Corps. The only location of significance in the Void is the Palace of Decay, a massive and imposing fortress built into the side of the highest mountain, where the Corps trains and studies. At the top floor of the palace lies the Withered Throne, where the Lord of Bones judges the souls of the deceased.**

**The Reaper Corps: A collective of deceased human souls, commanded by Death, whose sole purpose is to protect mankind from the supernatural and to preserve the truce (called the Balance) between Heaven, Hell, and Earth. The group is made up entirely of volunteers and consists of four different units. The Reapers are the field men and women; those who return to Earth and fight the supernatural forces that threaten mankind. Reapers have enhanced strength, speed, durability, reflexes, and senses and can operate alone or in groups. In addition to their duty to preserve the Balance, Reapers are also responsible for collecting deceased souls to bring to their master for judgment. The Makers are a group of scientists, engineers, chemists, and inventors who create the gear the Reapers employ in the field. The Smiths are blacksmiths and craftsman who forge the enchanted weapons that all Reapers receive upon joining the Corps while also inventing new ways to fortify the Palace of Decay. Finally, the Scholars are the philosophers and academics who study and catalogue the weapons, armor, artifacts, books, scrolls, and other items and information that are supernatural in origin. In addition to these units, the Corps is served by a group of hooded figures called Attendants. The origins of these beings or what they look like underneath their cloaks and hoods is known only to Death himself. Whatever they are or wherever they come from, they serve without question and are vital to the day to day operations of the Corps. Despite its high level of discipline, the Corps only has a handful of rules. Members of the Corps must sever all ties to their previous lives and loved ones and never attempt to contact them. In addition, the Corps must operate in secrecy, wiping all memory of supernatural events from any witnesses with the ****Dead Eye**** spell. Each member serves until they are either killed in action or are released from service by Death. In both cases, the members then pass on to the afterlife. The Corps is respected by Angels and feared and despised by Demons. They are humanity's first and last line of defense against the forces of darkness.**

**Angels: The winged, humanoid race that populates Paradise, Angels were the first species made by the Creator. Most are peaceful and kindhearted, though some are stiff, no-nonsense stoics who place duty above all else and believe anything besides is a waste of time. Despite living in a peaceful realm, Angels are mostly a proud warrior race whose armies are matched only by the Legions of Hell. Angels are stronger and denser than humans and often have trouble accepting them as equals. Despite many stories, Angels are their own race and not the souls of deceased humans given wings. They are utterly fierce and absolutely loyal in their devotion to the Creator and His Laws and would sooner die than dishonor Him.**

**Demons: The collective name for the dominate beings of Hell, Demons are ruthless, ambitious, and powerful. Demonkind was created by the Fallen Archangel Lucifer as an army to crush the forces of Heaven and Earth. Unlike Angels and Humans, Demons come in a variety of species, in all shapes, sizes, and variations of intelligence. Some are mindless beasts while others possess vast intellects beyond any human in history. Some are a part of a particular species, while others are one of a kind. All are cruel, monstrous, and completely loyal to their creator and master, Lucifer, whom they worship as their god. In demon society, the possession of souls and territory are the most valuable things one can claim ownership of. The more souls and territory one has, the more powerful they become. As such, demons often fight amongst themselves for these commodities. The rulers of Hell find this entertaining and do not intervene unless their personal power bases are threatened.**

**Demon Soldier: The standard foot soldier of Hell's Legions, these monstrous warriors are among the most populous species of demon. Taller and stronger than most humans, they are vicious and unforgiving in combat and equally as deadly. They will sacrifice their lives by the thousands to bring down a single foe. Each Solider often has tattoos printed on their bodies to intimidate their foes and to display their pride. Soldiers also possess vestigial wings on their backs that serve no purpose whatsoever. No one knows why they possess these functionless appendages, but some theorize that it is meant as an insult to the angels of Heaven. The standard Soldier wears little armor, possessing only gauntlets and leggings, having been deemed expendable and not important enough to be given a full set of armor. However, by advancing in rank, they can earn a full suit. This is the proudest moment they can look forward to in their lives. Soldiers advance in rank by slaying strong foes in battle and earning glory for their superiors. In Hell's Meritocratic society, Soldiers are ranked very low. While they can advance in rank, the chance of them being allowed to own souls or territory in the Inferno is very slim. Higher ranked Soldiers can give orders to their lesser brethren or the other, low ranked species of demon, but no Soldier, no matter their skill or rank, may give orders to a superior species of demon, like a Guardian. Despite these limitations, Demon Soldiers seem content with their lot in life, slaying the enemies of their masters and bringing glory to the supreme ruler of Hell, Lucifer.**

**Guardian Demon: Moderately high ranking in Hell's military, political, and social societies, Guardians are as tall and imposing as they are ambitious and cruel. Resembling demonic satyrs, Guardians often serve as Hell's officer equivalent found in human militaries. Guardians can come in different ranks and with different features but all of them believe themselves to be superior to their brethren and other demons in general. Most are unbearably arrogant and do not hide this fact around others, never missing a chance to boast or flaunt their superiority. Brawls among Guardians in the Inferno are as common as damned souls. Guardians are the lowest ranked species in hell that can own territory or souls. Guardians often challenge each other or higher ranked demons for these commodities, with the winner taking the losers land, souls, and minions and the loser being made an example of to others.**

**Rezen: A low ranking Guardian Demon in Hell, Rezen sought to escape from his unsatisfying lot in life; a common story among demons. He accomplished his goal by possessing the body of a minor bandit boss before bringing his Soldiers with him using the possessed man's flunkies. He soon took over a large bandit clan and used his intellect to perform daring robberies and kidnappings. Egotistical like most of his kind, he knew the Reaper Corps would find him and was confident he could deal with them. The bandit clan he controlled, as well as his Soldiers, were wiped out by the Reaper Naruto Uzumaki. Rezen was then killed by the Reaper soon after.**

**Vulgrim: Little is known about the origins of this demonic merchant. What is known is that the demon known as Vulgrim has spent countless centuries traveling across all realms and worlds, peddling his wares to any interested parties. Vulgrim never speaks of his past but, as a demon, he was likely born in Hell and, like many of his kind, sought to escape from it to seek other opportunities. He somehow escaped the Inferno **_**without**_** possessing a human host or any of the alternative means of escape. He travels by means of some sort of teleportation magic, though it is unknown as to what this magic is or where he learned it. When asked as to how he travels from realm to realm, Vulgrim grins and claims it's a "trade secret". Despite his living outside of Hell, Vulgrim does not seek to cause mayhem, destruction, or death like most demons, he simply wishes to sell his merchandise. Thus, he is allowed his freedom. Carrying all sorts of items such as weapons, armor, books, scrolls, runes, potions, poisons, jewelry, and other trinkets and odds and ends, Vulgrim has clientele across all realms and races, but he considers the Reaper Corps to be one of his best customers. The Corps regularly purchases supplies from him as well as information. Having contacts in all realms, Vulgrim hears all sorts of rumors, gossip, and all other forms information, which, like his wares, he sells for a fair price. Despite his usefulness, most members of the Corps considers him a nuisance, constantly being a sycophant to his customers, pestering them about purchases, or offering to buy their equipment. They keep him around, though, because he is useful, something Vulgrim knows all too well. Despite being a demon, Vulgrim never goes back on a deal and does not sell out his clients, a trait that buys him many repeat customers. Vulgrim accepts multiple forms of currency. While most of his customers pay him in gold or gems, the Reaper Corps most often pays him in Soul Energy, the residual energy left behind when a living being dies, which Reaper weapons collect. Through means unknown, Vulgrim has learned to feed off of this energy instead of mortal souls, unlike most other demons. In addition to these forms of currency, Vulgrim also has a notorious weakness for incredibly rare artifacts and tomes of magical power and will pay an absurd amount of money in exchange for these items. While in no way an honest merchant, Vulgrim offers a fairer deal than most can hope for in all of Creation.**

**Hephaestus: One of the only surviving pagan deities, Hephaestus was once the Greek God of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges, and the art of sculpture and was the patron of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and artisans. Despite being the son of Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of Olympus, Hephaestus's life was filled with hardship. Because he was less attractive than his fellow gods, Hephaestus was treated poorly by his family. To cope with his lonely, immortal existence, Hephaestus dedicated his time to crafting, forging, and metallurgy. He excelled in his craft and made countless weapons, armor, and other items for his fellow Olympians. The most prominent of these creations were the Thrones of Olympus, Helios's chariot, Hermes winged helmet and boots, Aphrodite's famed girdle, Hercules's bronze clappers, the Aegis breastplate, and Eros's bow and arrows. Impressed by his son's skill and dedication, Zeus awarded Hephaestus by offering him the goddess Aphrodite to him as a bride. Having been infatuated with her for years, Hephaestus immediately accepted the offer. Hephaestus doted upon his new wife and dedicated his time to being the husband she deserved. Despite this, Aphrodite loathed being married to the smith god and rewarded his devotion by having an affair with the war god Aries. When Hephaestus learned of this, he was heartbroken and furious and swore revenge. When next Aries and Aphrodite slept together, Hephaestus ensnared them in a set of invisible, indestructible chains, trapping the two naked Olympians to the bed. He then proceeded to drag the bed across all of Mount Olympus for the entire pantheon to see, humiliating the two beyond words. He only released them only after Poseidon begged him and promised him the two would be punished for their infidelity. After this, Hephaestus divorced Aphrodite, shocking her, as this was the first time she had been rejected by **_**anyone**_**, immortal or otherwise. Despite all of his achievements, Hephaestus never earned the love of his mother Hera, who looked down on him like he was some kind of monster. Eventually, Hera was able to convince the rest of the Olympian Gods to exile him to Earth. Unfortunately for Hera, Hephaestus got the last laugh. Before he was exiled, the smith god created an enchanted throne for his mother and, once she sat down on it, found herself glued to it. The gods begged Hephaestus to return and undo what he had done, but he refused. It took the efforts of Dionysus, the god of merriment and wine, to intoxicate him and drag him back to Olympus, where he was forced to undo the curse. By this time, Hephaestus began to despise his fickle family and sought any way to escape them. His chance finally came when the Olympians, along with the majority of the other pagan gods, united to challenge the Creator in what later became known as the Divinity War. When his family came to him and tried to force him join the coalition of deities to create weapons and armor for their armies, Hephaestus refused, not wanting anything to do with a war that he labeled as "a fuckin' suicide march". Angered by his son's refusal, Zeus prepared to punish the smith god...only to be stopped by the arrival of Death himself. Death easily defeated the entire Greek pantheon before making Hephaestus an offer: he and the Reaper Corps would provide him with protection and an environment where he could be appreciated for his work, in exchange for leading the Smiths unit of the Corps. Knowing the Corps was made up of honorable men and women, Hephaestus agreed (despite the fact he would have give up godhood) and was whisked away to the Void, leaving the Olympians to fight their doomed war. In the millennia since, the former god has served faithfully and has never regretted his decision. He actually enjoys being around humans, as many of them had revered him for his craft when he was an Olympian and never cared about his appearance.**

**The Divinity War: To be revealed.**

**Beatrice: To be revealed.**

**Krumar: To be revealed.**

**Palinus: To be revealed.**

**Xolom: To be revealed.**

**Cyora: To be revealed.**

**Shahram: To be revealed.**

**Riaza: To be revealed.**

**And that's it for the Codex for this chapter, sorry if it's too long. Most chapters won't have as many entries as this one.**

**Until next time, this is Intimidator1323 signing off!**


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